Another Potter
by LightInTheDark245
Summary: Alexandra Miller was born into the wrong world. When she dies aged 20, Dispater, Celtic god of the Underworld, sends her back to the Wizarding World as Harry's distant cousin and a Potter. With a few key instructions, she is given the monumental task of fixing Harry's life and helping him save Wizarding Britain, before Dumbledore can manipulate him further. H/Hr CW/OC
1. Another Life

**A/N: I'm not making money from this. This is J.K.'s world, I'm just playing in it.**

Alexandra Miller was by no means a restricted patient. She had been staying in the hospital for nearly three weeks after the car crash, with severe wounds to her chest and legs, but that had not stopped her from using an electric wheelchair to create havoc all over the hospital, and pranking the nurses and doctors who worked on the terminal patients, hoping to brighten the last days of her fellow patients. She had turned twenty only a month before she went into delayed cardiac arrest on the night of June 17th 1993, and passed on before the doctors could reach her.

Alexandra sat up with a gasp. The last thing she knew she had slipped into sleep in her bed in her London ward. The room she was in was rather small, with white walls and furniture. She sat in a small camp bed in the middle of the room, wearing black jeans and a red sweatshirt that was a size too big for her. She sprung out of the bed with energy she didn't know she still had after the accident and padded out of the room on barefeet.

She closed the door behind her as she entered an empty corridor, still all white, with no doors on the walls. To her right was a dead end, so she followed the corridor left, and found that her room had been the only door she had seen. After walking through a maze of corridors, she stopped in front of a brown door with a label on it that read _Dispater._ She took a deep breath and steeled her nerves, and reached out to knock on the door.

A small man with rosy cheeks and a sharp suit answered the door and grinned up at her pleasantly.

"Alexandra Miller, I presume?"

He reached out and grabbed her wrist before she could answer, tugging her into a cosy office with filing cabinets against the walls dominating the space. A mahogany desk sat in the centre, with two chairs either side of it. "Yes, that's me, sir." She replied, sitting on the nearer chair, while Dispater took the high backed chair on the other side.

"Wonderful, wonderful. Now… let me see… died of cardiac arrest on June 17th 1993, in St Bartholomew's Hospital in North East London." He muttered to himself as he flipped open a brown file sitting on his desk. Alexandra blinked. "Excuse me sir, did you just say, _died_?"

"Yes, dear, why else would you be here? My name is Dispater, I am the Celtic god of the Underworld, and you, missy, have caused me a great deal of trouble." He looked fondly at her. "But no matter! You're here and we're fixing it now, so, let's get down to business."

At this Alexandra opened her mouth to apologize, but the little man- no _god_ carried on talking regardless.

"I'm sorry to say, dear, that there's been a terrible mix up. You weren't born into the right world. There are many different worlds that co-exist, and one of those is the Wizarding World. If you will allow me, I would like to implant the memories you were supposed to have into your mind. They will explain the basics of the Wizarding World, and then we will talk about your life."

Alexandra scoffed. "Sure, there's such a thing as magic. Well, go on, then, I won't stop you from doing your supposed 'mind magic'."

Dispater shook his head in amusement, and reached out to touch her forehead with his right hand. As soon as contact was made, she was thrown back in her chair as a flood of information entered her mind.

 _Hogwarts. Ministry. Gringotts. Ollivanders. Wands. Transfiguration. Apparation. Floo. Pureblood. Muggleborn. Dragons. Triwizard. Minister. Ancient and Noble Houses. Gryffindor. Hufflepuff. Ravenclaw. Slytherin. Voldemort. Death Eaters. Dumbledore. Grindelwald. James. Lily. Sirius. Remus. Pettigrew. Harry._

When the barrage of information stopped, her eyes flew open and she began to pace back and forth in the office.

"So all of this is actually real? And I have to go there? I'm never going to see my family again, am I?"

The rosy cheeked god shook his head sadly.

"I'm afraid not, my dear. But there are sacrifices we all have to make, and this is one of yours."

Alexandra sat back down again, her head reeling. She pushed aside thoughts of her family, and focused on what Dispater had said before. "What is my part in this?" she asked, looking up after a lapse in conversation.

 _"_ You were _supposed_ to be born a Potter- Alexandra Lily Potter. The House of Potter is one of sixeen Ancient and Noble Houses: Abbott, Avery, Black, Bones, Bulstrode, Fawley, Flint, Greengrass, Longbottom, Macmillan, Nott, Parkinson, Prewett, Potter, Rosier and Selwyn.

Now, James and Lily, as you know were being hunted by Voldemort so that he could kill them and their infant son, Harry. On the night he murdered them Sirius Black, Harry's godfather and Remus Lupin were also killed. Sirius was disowned by his mother when he was sixteen for various reasons, and had no love for his family, so he wanted to pass the line on to Harry. James and Lily thought that the Headship of two Houses would be too much, so he named you Heir. You were eight at the time. You had been living in France with your parents your whole life- they had gone into hiding as soon as you were born.

"You attended Hogwarts in the year 1984 under a false name, sorted into Gryffindor, and when you graduated after achieving many accolades including Prefect, you took up a two year curse breaking apprenticeship in the north of France. You travelled with your mentor for two years, and after becoming a Master cursebreaker yourself, you have just returned to Britain to claim the Potter Headship.

"If you will allow me, I will give you those memories now."

Once more he placed his hand on her forehead, and this time she saw a rush of faces and places.

 _Her parents- blue and grey eyes and warm hugs, her father's deep laugh and her mother's bright smile. Cousin James with eyes identical to hers and his friend Sirius who could turn into a dog for her toddler self to play with. Remus who helped her turn Sirius blue when she was five. James teaching her to fly when she was six, Sirius putting a Beater's bat in her hands and showing her how to swing. Eventually red-haired Lily, who let her play dress up and laughed kindly at her accidental magic. Then no more James, Sirius, Lily, Remus. Gone. Her parents, attacked and then dead. Her aunt and uncle, their house by the sea, their protectiveness. Speaking French. Then Hogwarts- Gryffindor, Charlie Weasley with flame coloured hair and Sienna Bell with deep chocolate locks. Detentions, pranks, lessons, McGonagall and Flitwick, her favourite teachers. Beater on the Quidditch team with her two best friends. Etiquette lessons from Mum, finance and business from Dad. Prefect. OWLs. House Cup. Quidditch Cup. NEWTs. Graduation. Apprenticeship- Sebastien Martinez and his booming laugh and quick wit- Russia, India, America, Italy, Egypt. Travelling the world. Master certificate. Harry- she had to get back to Harry._

When she opened her eyes again, she was shocked to find her face wet with tears, and her body still heaving sobs. The losses of James, Sirius, Remus, Lily and her parents felt very fresh, and she wept for them. When her eyes dried up, Dispater handed her a handkerchief, and rubbed her shoulder.

"I'm sorry that it felt so realistic, but another part of you went through all that. There's more for me still to cover, so you might want to start writing this down, because this is where it gets complicated." He explained, pushing a leather bound journal and a fountain pen towards her.

"Don't worry, if anyone other than you or those you key into it opens this, it will look like basic curse-breaker notes."

She quickly accepted the journal, and opened to the first blank page, looking back up at Dispater, who had gotten off his chair and began to pace.

"When you wake up, the first thing you must do is go to Gringotts. First withdraw money from your vault, number 476, which you've inherited from your parents. Don't worry, you have a huge amount of money there so you can fund your war campaign. After extracting money, ask to meet with the goblin in charge of the Potter finances. First, ask to claim temporary Headship of the House of Potter until Harry comes of age. When the magic accepts you, unseal the wills of James and Lily. Through your Headship, the goblins will discover that Sirius named you his Heir, and you will inherit the Headship of the House of Black.

"After this has been established and you wear both Head rings, ask to see the list of properties owned by both Houses and have the wards updated on all of them to the best of the goblin's abilities, no expenses spared.

"From there, I suggest you outfit yourself with appropriate robes for the Wizengamot, and then pick up Harry when the residences become available. From there, you will begin his training. I suggest going over first and second year material first, get him checked out by a Healer, then begin third year material."

Alexandra had been scribbling away furiously as the god spoke, ignoring her mammoth hand cramp, and nodded as she finished up. "Basically, go to Gringotts, money, House of Potter, House of Black, pick up Harry, choose a house, Healer, train. I think I can do this!" she grinned, pushing her hair back from her face.

"Good, my dear, very good. Now comes the harder part. You _cannot trust Dumbledore_. He has been raising Harry like a pig for slaughter, putting him in almost constant danger for the past two years, and he has been stealing from the Potter vault, sealed James and Lily' s wills and allowed Harry to be physically abused as a child. He wanted a malleable hero to defeat Voldemort and die so that he could assume power in the aftermath.

"Also, you _cannot trust Molly, Ron or Ginny._ Molly is working with Dumbledore to ensnare Harry for Ginny to marry, and will resort to dosing him with potions if not stopped. Ron and Ginny are being paid by Dumbledore to get close to Harry, Ron actually is incredibly jealous of Harry's fame and wealth. Ginny just wants the money and Harry all to herself. She's developed an obsession with him after being read bedtime stories about him and then the Chamber fiasco made it worse. You have to get him away from those three. The rest of the Weasleys are fine; Bill, Charlie and the twins will prove useful allies."

Alexandra sighed. _I can't believe it. Dumbledore? Molly? How could she do something like that? I know her, I've stayed at her house- her second child was one of my closest friends? I suppose Dumbledore knew that Harry would be there alone, and if he could get Molly to draw him in, it would ensure a train ride with Ron and a friendship! Gods, how could they?_ She broke away from her thoughts as she began to shake with rage. "I understand, sir. I'll look after him." She promised.

Dispater smiled and sat down. "It's almost time for you to go. I'll be able to contact you in your dreams, and we will talk about whatever we've missed then. By the way, I've not given you your wand, I thought I'd leave you that experience to enjoy." He winked, and took her hand.

"When you wake up, you will remember your muggle life, as well as the past twenty years of your magical life. I think that as you spend more time there, your Muggle life will fade further and further and you will immerse yourself into wizarding life. This could happen quite quickly, so be prepared. One last thing, dear- try to enjoy yourself."

Alexandra smiled and nodded at the god, who began chanting in Celtic. Where their hands were touching, a bright white light appeared and grew steadily hotter and hotter, and as Alexandra was about to cry out, the white light expanded and she knew no more.


	2. Dealings with Goblins

**A/N: I'm not making money from this. This is J.K.'s world, and I'm just playing in it.**

Alexandra was lying on her side in the bed. She could feel the warmth of the sun washing over her through the open window, and she could hear the hustle and bustle of witches and wizards in Diagon Alley. Blearily, she opened her eyes and reached for a watch that had been left for her on her bedside table. It was 10:52, and she groaned and turned back over in an attempt to burrow her way into the bed and back to her dreams. Then her eyes flew open and she sat up, grinning. _I'm in Diagon Alley! I'm a witch!_

She leapt out of bed, and padded out of the room in search of a kitchen, which she quickly found as soon as she left her bedroom. The main part of the flat was an open plan kitchen and living room, with only her bedroom and what she assumed was a bathroom leading off of it. _Well, it's not like I'll be here for very long._ She headed straight for the tap, and set the water to boiling. As she waited, she noticed that she was wearing the same jeans and sweatshirt she had been wearing when she met Dispater. The journal she had taken notes in was sitting on a coffee table in the living room area, and she saw a plain black robe and a pair of boots that she could wear to Gringotts.

When the water was hot enough, she poured it into a cup and added coffee granules, and sat on one of the sofas, staring out the window. She could just make out the top of the bank from where she sat, and she watched the witches and wizards below her move about. It was the beginning of the summer, she could tell as much from the warmth of the air, and Alexandra was excited to go and meet Harry. She quickly drained her coffee and left the mug on the table, and quickly pulled on the boots and rope Dispater had left her.

Exiting the flat and locking it behind her with keys she had found in her robe, she took a deep breath. _First things first. Gringotts. Headships and guardianship. Okay, I can do that. Simple enough._ Descending the stairs on her right, she opened the heavy door that led to the alley, and walked out.

The sunlight blinded her momentarily, and when her vision returned, she gasped. It was just like she'd imagined it. She was standing between Ollivander's and a second hand robe shop, and she could hear the sounds of the animals in the Magical Menagerie. The flow of people was not dissimilar to a fast flowing river, and she quickly slotted herself into the movement, making her way up to the entrance of the bank. As she climbed the marble steps and entered the doors, she paused to read the famous warning on the second set of doors. Gathering up her strength, she strode through the doors with purpose and located an available teller.

"Excuse me, Master Teller. My name is Alexandra Potter. I wish to extract money from Vault 476." She stated with confidence, meeting the black eyes of the goblin in front of her. He remained silent and kept the eye contact until she began to sweat.

"Potter, you say? I have met young Mr Potter but I was not aware of another Potter." He said, looking at her suspiciously. "I will take you to your vault, Miss Potter. Your key, please."

She quickly handed over the tiny key that Dispater had again supplied her with, and followed the goblin out of the main hall. A short cart trip later that left her ready to throw up, and the goblin got out of the cart and inserted the key into the door of her vault.

 _Holy…_ she stared in shock at the contents of her vault. Dispater hadn't been kidding when he said that her parents were wealthy. There were endless piles of Galleons and Sickles and Knuts covered all of the floor's surface. She turned to the goblin. "Master Teller, is there a money pouch that will allow me to access my vault without needing to visit the bank?"

The goblin nodded and produced a nondescript brown pouch from a pocket, and handed it to her. "You may fill it now, Miss Potter, but after you have spent the money it will refill directly from your vault. It will cost you twelve Sickles, however."

Alexandra nodded and quickly counted out that amount from the vault and handed it over. She smiled as she began to sweep coins into the bag. "Master Teller, you have been extremely helpful. If you would tell me your name, I would like to conduct all of my financial business with you, if that is acceptable?"

The goblin stared at her in shock, and she began to worry that she had offended him. "I'm so sorry if I offended you, sir, that was not my intention, I swear it!" she blurted. _Well, great going, Alex, I bet that'll help the situation, oh God, what have I done?_

The goblin shook his head, and smiled her. "You have not offended me, Miss Potter, you have actually honoured me. Most of the wizards we deal with do not care to even address us as politely as you have, let alone ask for our names! My name is Griphook, and it would be an honour to do business with you."

She breathed a sigh of relief, and grinned at Griphook. "Thank Merlin for that! I was so worried that I had been rude without realising! Well, Griphook, if it's not too much trouble, I would like to meet with the goblin in charge of the Potter finances, and I wondered if you could be present?"

Griphook inclined his head, and gestured to the cart. She clambered back in as he resealed her vault and a few minutes they walked back into the main Hall. He grabbed another passing goblin by the shoulder, and nodded. "Miss Potter, if you would like to wait in this meeting room, Nurlor will join us momentarily."

She allowed herself to be ushered into a sizable meeting room, and seated herself in a brown leather armchair, and Griphook stood slightly behind her right shoulder. Within minutes, another goblin with white hair entered the room and seated himself behind the desk.

"Good morning, Miss Potter, what can I do for you?" he asked in a deep, gravelly voice.

"Master Nurlor, as you may or may not know, I am the oldest living Potter, and I am here to claim temporary Headship of the Ancient and Most Noble House of Potter, until Harry James Potter either comes of age or chooses to take up the Headship." She stated firmly, and held the old goblin's gaze.

"Very well. Miss Potter, if you are a true Potter, the family magic will manifest and accept you as temporary Head. You must cut your left palm and allow the blood to fall into the Potter ceremonial bowl, and state your full name. If the family magic finds you worthy, the Head of House ring will appear and you can wear it on the middle finger of your left hand. The ritual will also double as an inheritance test, to confirm your identity if you are not accepted. It will appear even if you become Head." Nurlor explained, casting a questioning glance at Griphook, who nodded.

A deep green clay bowl manifested on the desk, and Nurlor pulled out a dagger from the desk drawer. Taking a deep breath, Alexandra accepted the dagger and stood. She winced as she dragged the blade against the skin of her palm, and allowed the blood that was forming to drip into the bowl. "Alexandra Lily Potter." She said, and there was a flash of amber light from where her blood rested in the bowl.

A corporeal, amber griffin stood before her in the office, not unlike the appearance of a Patronus. It looked her deep in the eye, and swept a low bow, and vanished. As the image faded, a ring clattered into the bowl, and she reached out to pick it up. The stone was red, and she could just make out the carving of a rearing griffin on it. Alexandra slid it onto her middle finger, and looked up at her goblin companions, who bowed low to her.

"Congratulations, Lady Potter." Said Griphook, and Nurlor quickly echoed the sentiment. She sat down again, and spoke. "I wish for the wills of the late Lord and Lady Potter to be unsealed, and I would like to view them and the will of Sirius Black before the items mentioned are distributed."

Nurlor nodded, and left the room, leaving Alexandra and Griphook alone. "Griphook, I have been informed by an unnamed source that I am the Heir to the Ancient and Most Noble House of Black. Is this true?" she asked, turning to face her goblin advisor.

The inheritance test lay still on the desk, and he quickly picked it up and stared in shock. "It would seem so, my Lady. Would you like to complete the inheritance ritual now?" he asked, looking between her and the paper. She quickly agreed, and the Black ritual bowl was brought in.

She repeated the process she had before, but this time the family magic was a large cobra that took an immediate liking to her, curling itself up her left leg and around her shoulders to flick its tongue over her cheek, to the alarm of Griphook and Nurlor, who had returned, clutching a heavy file. She giggled as the totem vanished again, and put the Black ring onto her right hand, to signify its dominance in terms of her blood. Because the Potter Headship was temporary, she wore it on her left because she had a better claim to the Black seat.

The three retook their places, and Alexandra read over the wills of her cousins, shedding a tear that was kindly ignored by the goblins. It stated that the Dursleys were the absolute last resort for Harry's care; even _she_ , who had been only eight at the time of writing, had been named before Petunia. Her anger resurfaced and her hand on the armchair tightened, and various ornaments began to rattle as her magic began to bubble. She took a few calming breaths, and turned to the goblins.

"Albus Dumbledore put my cousin with the Dursleys instead of everyone else on this list. _Did he seal this will?"_ she asked, her voice shaking with rage, and when Nurlor nodded she stood and began pacing.

"How _fucking_ dare he! He is not even named in this will, let alone given control of Harry's care!" she shrieked. "If I find out that he has even touched a _Knut_ of Harry's money, I swear to Merlin that I will skin him ALIVE! Master Nurlor, I wish to see a bank statement for Harry's trust vault, the Potter family vaults, the Black family vaults and my personal vault, if you please."

Sirius' will only left everything to the next Head of House and left one million Galleons to Andromeda and Nymphadora to be split between them.

Griphook exited the room and presumably went to fetch the necessary documents.

"I would also like to arrange an official reading of the wills sometime before Harry returns to Hogwarts. Speaking of Harry, I assume that I am now his legal and magical guardian?" she asked, looking at Nurlor. He nodded and pulled out a document from his file. "Sign here and here, and touch your House rings to the ink and you will become the undisputed guardian of your cousin." She obliged, and a flash of amber and deep green magic signalled the documents validity.

"Master Nurlor, I apologise for my earlier outburst. I would like to ask a favour of you. I would like you to assume control of the Black finances, and have Griphook assume control of the Potter finances. Harry has met Griphook, and I would like to ease him into the financial and political world as easily as possible. I will give you both a trial period that will last till the end of December, and if you both have increased the wealth of each family, Harry and I will keep dealing with you both." She said, smiling at the elderly goblin, who reached forward for her hand.

"Lady Potter, you have done me a great honour. I thank you for your praise, and I know that Griphook will be pleased, he is a skilled and cunning goblin and will be able to increase the Potter wealth dramatically." He exclaimed.

Alexandra smiled. _I can't believe how complicated all this is! But I feel like I know exactly what to do and say to get these goblins on our side. The memories Dispater gave me were so detailed this whole things is like habit!_

Griphook returned, and once he found out about his promotion, he echoed the thanks of Nurlor. "Now, Master Nurlor, before I look at the statements and properties of Potter and Black, I would like to extend an offer of reinstatement to Andromeda and Nymphadora Tonks. Could the bank send them an official letter, and I will pay them a visit sometime next week, and I will owl them with details."

"Of course Lady Potter, and might I suggest firstly after consulting the statements, we discuss your title and a potential family meeting?" Nurlor suggested. He was very excited. It had been many years since the Houses of Potter and Black had been allied, and he could see that the new Lady was as cunning as the Blacks but as loyal as the Potters, that he could tell from the Black totem's reaction to her and her outburst on Harry's behalf. Yes, they would be seeing changes in society very soon, and Nurlor fully intended to get the Goblin Nation on her side.

Alexandra accepted first the Black documents, and her eyes widened.

 _Black Family Vault: 97, 864, 690, Galleons, 383 Sickles, 56 Knuts._

 ** _Investments:_**

 _Quality Quidditch Supplies: 52%_

 _Flourish and Blotts: 23%_

 _Ogden's Old Firewhiskey: 47%_

 _Gambol and Japes: 34%_

 _Borgin and Burke's: 65%_

 ** _Properties:_**

 _Black Manor, Cornwall._

 _12 Grimmauld Place, London._

 _Saldara Villa, Barcelona._

 _Crespin House, Croatia._

 _The Den, East London._

Alexandra burst out laughing as she read the statement, to the immense shock of the goblins. "I can't believe it! How do I have this much money? Merlin… at least I know where I'll be taking Harry on holiday this summer! Lord…" she sighed, glancing over the paper once more. "Could I have a copy of all of these statements for my own records?"

As this was being done, she quickly scanned her personal vault statement, and saw that she had inherited 25 million Galleons from her parents, along with her childhood home, Araniel House in Aquitaine.

She was then handed the Potter Family Vault statement, and her eyes widened. It wasn't quite as extensive as the Black reserves but was close. Very close.

 _Potter Family Vault: 89, 539, 624 Galleons, 639 Sickles, and 32 Knuts_

 ** _Investments:_**

 _Nimbus Brooms: 42%_

 _Butterbeer Productions: 38%_

 _Gambol and Japes: 34%_

 _Twilfitt & Tattings: 51%_

 _Potage's Cauldron Shop: 63%_

 ** _Properties:_**

 _Potter Manor, Kent._

 _Potter Cottage, Godric's Hollow._

 _Chalet Marsala, Switzerland._

 _Svartholma Fortress, Russia._

 _The Den, East London._

"Wonderful. Now could I see Harry's trust vault statement?" she asked, returning the paper to the desk to be duplicated. She noticed that Griphook had put them in two separate folders- one for Potter and her personal statement and the other for Black.

The goblins exchanged a look before handing over the parchment.

 ** _Trust Vault of Harry James Potter_**

1980: 50, 000 Galleons.

1982: 48, 000 Galleons.

1984: 46, 000 Galleons.

1986: 44, 000 Galleons.

1988: 42, 000 Galleons.

1990: 40, 000 Galleons.

1991: 37, 950 Galleons.

1992: 35, 900 Galleons.

Alexandra looked up from the paper, and Nurlor shifted his chair back slightly. It had been a long time since he had seen such rage in a witch's eyes. "Master Nurlor. Who was making these transactions before 1991?"She asked in a deceivingly calm voice.

Nurlor gulped. "I'm afraid that would be Professor Dumbledore, my Lady."

"I see. And, Master Nurlor, I find it hard to believe that Harry would be spending over 2, 000 Galleons for the past two years. My unnamed source tells me that Dumbledore has been paying Molly Weasley and her children Ron and Ginny to ensnare Harry. Could you find out if their vaults have received 500 Galleons each, for the past two years, and if Dumbledore's personal account has received 11, 000 Galleons from an unknown source in the past twelve years?" she said politely.

Griphook rushed out of the room, and she turned again to Nurlor. "Now, if this is true, and Dumbledore has been taking this money, where can I expect the Goblin Nation to stand? I intend to take this as an insult to the Ancient and Most Noble House of Potter, and as Harry's guardian, an insult to the Ancient and Most Noble House of Black." She stated clearly.

Nurlor grinned wickedly at the young witch. He could tell that she was a pureblood, and had truly inherited the Black cunning from the House ring. "My Lady, the Goblin Nation has no love for this man. The Houses of Potter and Black are by far some of our most loyal and…wealthy customers, and we echo your anger."

As he finished speaking, Griphook came in, and nodded at the both of them. "What you suspect, my Lady, is true. The Weasleys are in the pay of Albus Dumbledore, and he has been stealing from Harry for twelve years."

Alexandra closed her eyes, and took deep breaths. "I would like your counsel on this matter, my friends. I want to hurt him _now_ , but I fear that if I attack now, he could prevail. What is your advice?"

Both goblins smiled at the witch. "I suggest that you focus on Harry for the summer, and wait until the school year has begun before attacking the old goat. If anyone gives him a hint of your awareness of his misdeeds, he could act before you have had a chance to settle yourself into your titles and seats on the Wizengamot. We will return the stolen money, and we will certainly make it a more complicated process for him to withdraw money, but I fear that is all we risk for now. But rest assured, my Lady, the Goblin Nation will echo your rage, and this breach will most likely grant you an audience with our leader, Ragnok." said Griphook with a menacing grin.

"Very well. I will forget this for now, and focus on Harry. I intend to take him away from the Dursleys tomorrow morning, and take him to one of the Potter residences. I would like all of our joint properties, Black and Potter to be warded to the best of your abilities, no expenses spared. Blood wards are a must for our main residence, but I myself will add them later." She decided, rising and beginning to pace as she thought it out.

"I will take Harry out for the day, is there any chance that if you do the houses in Britain first, they can be done by late afternoon tomorrow? Use all the goblins and humans you need, we have plenty of money."

"It will be done, my Lady. I will give the order now, and our teams will begin. Now, I would like to discuss your title. You are by birth a Potter, and hold a temporary Headship, but you are by right Lady Black. I would suggest you change your name to Potter-Black to honour both families?" Griphook suggested and she nodded.

"Lady Alexandra Lily Potter-Black…Yes, I like it. If you could change it legally, it would be much appreciated. I would also like to organise a statement from Gringotts stating that I have assumed both Headships and guardianship of Harry, but please stress the temporary part of the Potter title, and my name change?" She asked, and when they agreed, she smiled at them both.

"You have both done me great service today, and I will not forget it. I would ask one last favour of you?"

"Of course, Lady Potter-Black. What can we do?" said Nurlor, glancing at Griphook.

Alexandra opened her robes to reveal her sweatshirt and jeans. "My muggle clothes are somewhat inappropriate for a Head of House, and I'd rather not be recognised by my rings or face until I can fix that. Could I have a portkey to Twilfitt and Tatting's please, and also muggle debit cards connected to each of my accounts?" She asked sheepishly. The portkey, a blank piece of parchment and the debit cards were quickly handed over, and after thanking each goblin profusely, she activated the portkey and vanished.


	3. Preparing for Harry

**A/N: I'm not making money from this. This is J.K's world, I'm just playing in it.**

The portkey felt like a hook attaching itself behind her navel and tugging. When she landed, she stumbled a bit but quickly regained her balance. The shop resembled a muggle store somewhat, there were racks of clothes spread around the room, and clothes hanging the walls. She was lucky in that the shop was completely empty, save one bored employee reading a book at the till.

Alexandra approached the desk and coughed. The girl looked up and quickly shut her book. "Madame, what can I do for you today?" she asked nervously, not noticing the House rings she wore.

"I'd like to speak to the owner if they're here?" she replied, smiling warmly at the nervous girl, who nodded and rushed off into a back room, returning quickly with a slender woman who looked to be in her mid-forties. "Good afternoon, I am Madame Twilfitt, the owner of the shop. What can I do for you?" she said politely, casting an eye at her robes and muggle clothing.

"My name is Alexandra Potter-Black. I've just claimed Headship of House Black and temporary Headship of House Potter. However, I am in need of a full formal wardrobe suitable for my position and the Wizengamot." She explained, gesturing sheepishly to her clothes. Madame Twilfitt's jaw dropped, and the employee grinned.

"Merlin, this is fantastic!" she exclaimed. "My name is Laura, and it's an honour to meet you, my Lady! I'm so excited, it's been a while since we had a full wardrobe like this!"

Alexandra laughed, and pulled off her robe. "Well, I'm glad you think so, Laura. I want to make an impression at the next Wizengamot meeting- it's been a long time since the Potter and Black seats had an occupant."

Madame Twilfitt shook herself out of her shock, and began dictating to Laura, who jotted what she said down on spare parchment and used a muggle pen.

"Well, we'll need robes with both crests on, Acromantula silk of course, and I think for the first appearance we'll need to go all black with the clothes. So, a black shirt, blazer and skirt, you have a good figure so that's an advantage, and of course black heeled shoes. No stockings, I think. For the later meetings more neutral colours but well-made and sharp."

This continued for a few minutes before Laura was sent to close the shop: "Your first public appearance must be controlled, the people will see what you want them to see only." Alexandra was measured and then pushed into a changing room, and ordered into clothes that were judged by Madame Twilfitt and Laura, who was a muggleborn with a good idea of public reactions.

Two hours later, Alexandra apparated to Ollivander's laden down with shrunken purchases and lighter of a few hundred Galleons. She entered the shop hesitantly and tapped the bell that sat on the desk. "Mr Ollivander? Are you here?" she called. The man in question appeared in front of her like…well, like magic, and she stepped back in shock.

"Ah, Alexandra Potter. I wondered when I'd be seeing you. Nine years too late." He said, giving her disapproving look, and turning to select a wand box.

"Yes, well, we were in Europe when I turned 11, so we purchased from Gregorovitch. It's been broken since then, so I am in need of another." She said, glancing around the shop. _Well this place is creepy as hell,_ she thought, _thank Merlin that this will be relatively quick_.

"Here, Miss Potter. Try this one. 12 inches, pine with unicorn hair." He presented a deep brown wand to her, which he picked up and flicked. She jumped as a book on a shelf ripped itself apart.

Over the next quarter of an hour, Ollivander produced numerous unsuitable wands to her, before her magic finally settled on a 12 ¾ inch wand, made of acacia wood and with dragon heartstring. As soon as she touched it, the wood emitted a soft glow that lit the room, and her House rings glowed. She could feel her magic settle into the wand, and it felt almost… _happy_ to have found her, if that was possible.

She paid and left the dark shop, apparating to the doorstep of Flourish and Blotts. Once she had reached a deserted corner of the shop, she put a glamour over herself that changed her hair from black to blonde, and her brown eyes to light blue. Once the glamour was in place, she began searching for some good reads for both her and Harry. In the Transfiguration she picked up _Becoming an Animagus, Animagus Meditation, Transformation: an Animagus' Guide_. She was eager to learn this skill so that she could offer it to Harry as well. Alexandra also picked up some books in household spells, duelling, battle magic, pureblood etiquette, the Wizengamot explained, family magic and dark curses. She wanted to begin training for Harry and possibly Neville as well next week at the latest. She was determined to make sure Harry was ready for Voldemort when he came.

She exited the shop a few Galleons later, and headed for a nondescript luggage shop, where she bought two large dragonhide trunk embedded with security spells that held various compartments for books, clothes, potion ingredients, delicate items and Quidditch gear. She packed her formal wear and books into one of the trunks in the shop, and applied a featherlight charm and a shrinking charm to both and put them in her pockets. Alexandra made a stop at the stationery shop next to the bookshop and purchased copious amounts of parchment, ink, quills and sand, and she strolled up the Alley, heading to the Leaky Cauldron, where she grabbed a quick lunch and headed into Muggle London.

With the help of a sales assistant, she bought a casual Muggle wardrobe and two Muggle suits in a department store, then went to a sports shop to buy workout gear and a pair of Nikes. She picked up a few t-shirts and tank tops plus shorts and leggings. A sweatshirt not unlike the red one she had woken up in caught her eye and she added that to her haul as well as a few sports bras. She would bring Harry here tomorrow or the day after to get the same sort of thing, it was not widely known that physical endurance played a big part in a duel, it would allow you to dodge spells for longer, and she knew it was a good idea to stay in shape. As a Muggle she had played a lot of sport, and enjoyed long runs every morning. It was something she would have to pick up when she and Harry moved.

She found a quiet side alley off the street that she was walking along, and apparated back to Diagon Alley, and walked down to Florean Fortescue's for an ice cream. As she licked the ice cream, the Owl Emporium caught her eye, and she went in. The shop was dark and stank of animals, but she pushed through. She knew that post owls were magical beings so she stood in the middle of the shop and closed her eyes, mentally feeling out with her magic, until she felt a connection. Eyes opened, she followed the feeling until she arrived at the perch of a tawny owl. She grinned at the owl.

"Wonderful. I'm Alexandra Potter-Black. I suppose you'd like to be my owl then?" she asked holding out her arm. She knew she probably looked a bit stupid, introducing herself to an owl, but it had long been known that owls understood human languages, something that was ignored by most. The owl hooted and glided down to rest on her arm and nibbled her ear gently.

"I'll find a name for you when we get back to the apartment, but for now you'll have to wait." She paid a few Galleons for her owl and some treats and a perch, which she shrunk and pocketed. Alexandra didn't want to buy a cage, he was more than capable of flying anywhere he wanted. They left the shop and together they walked back to her gifted apartment.

Once there, the evening passed quickly and she ordered dinner from a Muggle Chinese restaurant which she had to go and pick up. As she ate, she read her new book on household charms, and practiced them, much to the amusement of her owl. She eventually named him Sirius, after the man who made her his undisputed Heir, and she and Sirius were very excited to meet Harry. The evening quickly passed into night and she packed the apartment into her trunk. The only things left out was a grey Armani suit and black Louboutins. She wanted to make a firm impression on the Dursleys when she arrived and a good impression on Harry.

An owl had already arrived from Ragnok, the Goblin King, who expressed his anger and his support of her situation and his offer of an audience in the coming weeks, and she had replied with his owl stating her thanks, and gratefulness for such an audience. Another owl had come with a letter from Nurlor, suggesting that she call a family meeting for House Black as soon as possible to discuss changes and that the wards on the British residencies were finished and she replied to him thanking him for his advice and help.

The day had taken a lot out of her, so she changed into her new pyjamas after a shower, and fell into her bed and a dreamless sleep.


	4. First Impressions

**A/N: I'm not making money from this. This is J.K.'s world, I'm just playing in it.**

The next morning her Muggle alarm clock went off at 10:00 AM, and she dragged herself out of bed and into the shower. She scrubbed her hair with shampoo and conditioner left by Dispater, and washed her body with soap. She shaved her legs and armpits, and applied moisturiser to her skin, before she slipped into her Armani suit, which was a light grey and she wore a black silk camisole with thin shoulder straps under the jacket. She made herself a mocha again, and while it brewed she tamed her hair with a drying charm and a few styling charms she had used in her Potter life. It now hung in loose curls around her face, and brought out the colour of her deep brown almond shaped eyes. She downed the coffee and shoved her pyjamas into her trunk and shrunk it down to fit in the pocket of the plain black robes she had bought for everyday use, made of Acromantula silk.

Casting her eye about the room, she made sure nothing was left behind. "Sirius, I'm going to pick up Harry now, and I'd like you to come with me. I have no doubt that Harry's owl Hedwig will want to meet you, and it would be a good time for you two to hunt while we shop." The tawny owl hooted and flew over to her shoulder. Alexandra slipped on her Louboutins and gripped the owl's talons, and concentrated on the corner of Privet Drive and twisted.

She landed with a crack on the corner of a fairly nice estate, with detached houses and decent sized lawns. Sirius was hooting indignantly at her and she giggled. "I know, I'm sorry, I'll warn you next time. Can you fly over to Number 4 for me, so I can find it?"

The owl huffed and obliged, gliding over to a house in the middle of the road. She sighed, and tucked a curl behind her right ear, and began to stride towards the house with purpose. As she approached the drive, she could hear shouting from inside and increased her pace, and reached out to knock sharply on the front door. The shouting ceased, and after a few moments of silence, Petunia Dursley answered the door. The thin woman looked her up and down in shock, and glanced back into the house, no doubt at her husband.

"Good afternoon, Mrs Dursley. May I come in?" Alexandra said pointedly, trying to glance over Petunia's shoulder into the house. The woman nodded without saying anything, and she stepped into the hall of the house.

"Can I offer you tea? Coffee perhaps?" stammered Petunia, trailing behind the witch.

"No, thank you, I'm quite alright. Is it okay if I take a seat? We have a lot to talk about." She replied, taking a seat on a light pink armchair. Petunia and Vernon sat together on the sofa, and Alexandra remained quiet for a few moments, until the silence was interrupted by Vernon.

"What do you want, woman? Coming in here, barging into our home! What do _we_ have to talk about?" he said aggressively, glaring at her with piggy eyes.

"Mr Dursley, my name is Alexandra Potter-Black. I am twenty years old, and yesterday I became the Head of the Ancient and Most Noble Houses of Potter and Black. Yes, I am a witch." She stated, looking at both Muggles. When she said her name, Petunia became very pale, whereas Vernon's face began to turn purple with rage.

"So that's it then. You're one of those _freaks_ , are you? Well, I won't stand for it! Not in my house. _NOT IN MY HOUSE, I TELL YOU!"_ he yelled, getting to his feet and standing over her. Alexandra smiled, and extracted her wand from her pocket and twirled it around in her fingers.

"Mr Dursley, I would like to remind you of two things before you continue. First, the Houses of Potter and Black rank at the very top of our society, and I'm afraid this carries over to the non-magical world. I am to be addressed as _Lady_ Potter-Black. My families are so prominent that her Majesty herself knows of both Houses." As she spoke she rose from her seat, her heels giving her a height above the portly man's. She drew on her pureblood heritage, and stood proud, allowing her magic to seep out a little, only enough to light her eyes up.

"Second, while your nephew is an underage wizard and is prohibited from using magic against you, I am a fully trained witch, with two years of curse-breaking under my belt. Now, you may continue, or you will allow me to speak to your nephew. Bear in mind that I don't actually need your permission, I'm just being polite. Which do you choose, Mr Dursley?"

The fat man had turned pale like his wife, and sat back down, staring at her wand. "Good. Thank you for your cooperation."

Alexandra swept out of the room, her robe billowing behind her, and she tentatively climbed the stairs. Harry had left his door slightly ajar, and she knocked gently. "Harry? Can I come in?" she asked softly, and waited for him to reply. When she heard a soft "yes", she pushed open the door. Harry was sitting on his bed, facing the door. She smiled at his messy black hair the same shade as her own, and met the piercing green eyes that looked at her with suspicion. Lily's eyes, of course. She herself had inherited James' eyes, how, she did not know, as her father had had grey eyes.

"Hi Harry. Can I sit down?" she asked, and he nodded. She took a seat on a rickety old chair by a desk. "You don't know me but I know you. I'm your cousin Harry, my name is Alexandra. I'm a Potter too." She said and watched his eyes widen in shock.

"Dumbledore said that I was the only living Potter." He said quietly, and she grimaced. "Well, I've been working in France for the past two years as a curse-breaker, so imagine my surprise when I got back here and I found my baby cousin all grown up and at Hogwarts!"

"The thing is Harry, there's a lot that Dumbledore hasn't told you. For one, the Potter family is actually what the Wizarding World calls an Ancient and Most Noble House. It means that our family is very old and very powerful. For each house, there is a Head and an Heir. In the case of House Potter, I'm the Head, and you are my Heir. I'm only the Head until either you turn seventeen, or I can keep it longer than that if you don't think you're ready. However, I'm also the Head of House Black. It's also an Ancient and Most Noble House, and the last Head was Sirius Black, your parents' friend. James and Lily though that the Headship of two Houses would be too much pressure, and seeing as Sirius hated his whole family he left it to me, as I'm the only other Potter who was eligible. With me so far?" she asked warily. It was all very complicated, and she wasn't sure she had explained it well enough. When he nodded, she grinned widely. _I knew he'd be a smart one._

"Right, so because I'm your Head of House, I can be your guardian. I've already signed the papers, and Harry, _I can get you out of here."_ She announced triumphantly.

He sat up straighter. "You mean it? You can take me away?" he asked eagerly, leaning forwards. When she nodded, the boy launched himself at her and wrapped his arms around her. "Thank you, thank you, thank you! You have no idea how much I hate it here!"

She laughed and pulled him into a hug. "Anytime, kiddo. And I mean it, you know. If you ever need me to be somewhere, I'll go, if you need something, I'll get you it. I promise." She whispered into his hair, and dropped a kiss on his head, which made him tighten his arms.

"Now, what say you we get this all packed up, eh?" she offered, pulling back from the hug slightly and he looked up at her. A grin split his face, and he pulled away and flipped his trunk open.

"I only got here yesterday, so I'm not unpacked yet." Harry explained, throwing books into the trunk and grabbing a jacket off the chair. "I take everything with me when I go to school, so that's it, I'm done."

She smiled, and tapped his trunk with her wand twice. It shrunk to fit in his jacket pocket, and weighed almost nothing, so she passed it to her cousin and he pocketed it. "Okay, now for the owls…" she muttered, crossing to his open window. "You have an owl too?" he asked, following her and looking out.

Alexandra stuck two fingers in a mouth and whistled. "Yep, he's a tawny called Sirius," here she winked at the boy, "I only got him yesterday though."

The distinct colour of Hedwig caught her eye, and she and Harry ducked as the two owls soared into the room. "Sirius, this is Harry; Hedwig, I'm Alexandra. Right, Harry, if that's everything, let's get out of this hellhole."

With that, they trooped out of the room and down the stairs where Petunia and Vernon waited, stewing with anger, in the hall.

"Mr and Mrs Dursley, thank you for your cooperation today. This is the last time you will see your nephew, but I can't say that you won't see me again. Good day."

Alexandra flicked her hair over her shoulder as she turned and strode out of the house, leaving Harry to say a brief goodbye. The two owls followed her after leaving droppings on the heads of both Dursleys, and she explained to them that they would apparate to Diagon Alley, where they would be free to fly around, and she would call them when they left for Potter Manor.

Harry joined her on the driveway, and she reached for his hand, which was accepted. Hand in hand they walked to the end of the street which was more secluded from Muggles. She explained to him their game plan for the day: lunch, Gringotts for the Heir ritual, bookshop, stationer, Twilfitt and Tattings, then Muggle London for casual clothes, Florean's for an ice cream, picking up other accessories and then straight to Harry's home of choice.

Harry smiled at his cousin. He couldn't believe his luck that she had come and rescued him from the Dursleys and soon he would have a new home and control over his life. He had a feeling that he and Alexandra would take the Wizarding World by storm, and little did he know that he was absolutely, undeniably right.


	5. Potters Reunited

**A/N: I'm not making money from this. This is J.K.'s world, I'm just playing in it.**

Another crack and they landed in the official apparition point for the Alley, one that she hadn't been using earlier that day. Luckily, with so much magic, and with it being such a common practice, the Ministry weren't able to trace her magical signature. The owls immediately flew off to go and hunt, and Harry sighed in contentment beside her. "I love this place. Reminds me that I'm truly a wizard, you know?" he commented as they began to head for the Leaky Cauldron.

"Despite the fact that you go to a magical school, where you're taught magic and portraits move?" Alexandra countered, coaxing a laugh out of the young boy. She smiled in triumph. _Five points to Gryffindor_ , she cheered internally, but she kept a calm face. They entered the pub and sat down at a well-lit table with a copy of today's _Prophet_ lying abandoned on it. "Ooh! I've been meaning to pick one up! There should be a Gringotts announcement about me somewhere…ahah!" she exclaimed when her finger landed on it.

"Listen to this Harry, how exciting!

 _Gringotts Bank is pleased to announce that Alexandra Lily Potter has accepted the Headship of the Ancient and Most Noble House of Black, along with the temporary Headship of the Ancient and Most Noble House of Potter._

 _Lady Potter-Black, as she is now known, has made it clear that as soon as the presumed Potter Heir, Harry James, comes of age or feels that he is ready, she will renounce the title and pass on the Headship._

 _We at Gringotts offer our congratulations to Lady Potter-Black, and our deepest regards."_

Alexandra beamed at Harry, who grinned at her excitement. "Look, this one on my left hand is the Potter House ring, you'll wear a similar one when you complete the Heir ritual later today. When you turn seventeen, or whenever after that, you'll wear this one!"

"I'm not sure I'll be able to accept the Heir ring, Alexandra. It seems that there's a lot to learn about etiquette and stuff, what if I mess it up this summer?" he confided, leaning back in his chair and looking down at his feet.

She reached across the table to take his hand. "Harry, you don't need to worry about that. I will teach you everything you need to know over the summer, and if you make mistakes before then, no one will ever call you out. They know exactly how much power we wield between the two of us. Come on, kiddo, the Head of two Ancient Houses and the Boy Who Lived. We got this."

The moment was interrupted by the arrival of Tom at their table. "Hi Tom. Could I have a Casesar salad with a small side of fresh fruit and water to drink please?" she said politely, glancing between the barkeep and the menu. The elder man winked at her. "Right you are, my Lady, and what'll it be for Harry here?"

Harry ordered steak and chips with steamed vegetables, taking a subtle cue from Alexandra's choice. Tom ambled off to put their order in, and Alexandra started up a conversation about Hogwarts while they ate their food. Harry was raving about the Christmas decorations in the Great Hall when their meals arrived and that sparked a thought as she speared a tomato.

"That reminds me, you have a decision to make. You get to pick where we live. I have a list of all our combined properties here, and I recommend a house in Britain, and also not the Den. It belonged to your father and Sirius, and it served as their bachelor pad. Not quite what we're looking for, I think." She took a sip of water and produced the list with a flourish.

"So, our conditions leave only Black Manor in Cornwall, Grimmauld Place in East London, Potter Manor in Kent, or Araniel House in Yorkshire. It's completely up to you, Harry, I don't mind." She said after scanning the list.

Harry nodded firmly, "I think Potter Manor. It's where my parents would have lived, where I would have lived without Voldemort and the war."

Alexandra smiled at the young boy, and pulled out her money pouch. Both of them had finished their meals, and she left the appropriate amount plus a tip on the table, and they left the pub.

Back in the Alley, the crowds had died down a bit, enough for Harry and Alexandra to make their way to Gringotts without interruption. They walked in together, Alexandra's heels clacking against the marble, and her floor length robes flowing behind her. Next to her, Harry cut a much less impressive figure, with Dudley's hand me downs completely drowning him. _We'll definitely be paying Madame Twilfitt a visit after this._ She spotted Griphook at an empty desk and made her way over, Harry at her side like a duckling following its mama.

"Greetings, Teller Griphook. May I present my cousin, Harry James Potter. I think you've already met. We would like to complete the Heir ritual for House Potter." She announced, resting her left hand on Harry's shoulder, who was grinning up at the goblin.

"Good afternoon, Lady Potter-Black, Mr Potter. If you would follow me, we can begin the ritual." Griphook led the way to the meeting room they had used the day before and produced the Potter ritual bowl. Harry, after being instructed as to what to do, slit his palm, and stated his name as the blood fell on the bowl. The same flash of amber magic lit the room and the Potter griffin reappeared. It nudged Harry's shoulder and tucked its head under the arm of the giggling boy, who obliged and wrapped his arms around the totem. The griffin then nudged Alexandra's elbow and looked pointedly between her and her cousin.

"Yes, yes, I understand, I'll look after him, I promise." She laughed, and the griffin nodded its head in approval and vanished. Griphook looked impressed, and handed Harry the Heir ring, which was similar to the Head ring, only the band was silver rather than gold and the stone was slightly smaller. They thanked Griphook and Alexandra asked permission to apparate out of the bank.

They landed with a crack outside the clothes shop, where Laura, the employee from the day before, was reopening the shop after lunch. Seeing the woman outside, Laura yelled for Madame Twilfitt before ushering the two inside and setting the sign to 'Closed'. She knew that they would make more money from Alexandra than any customers they would have had anyway.

"Laura! This is Harry, and we need the same things as yesterday, but obviously for an Heir. No expenses spared, just like yesterday." She explained, pushing Harry slightly forward. Madame Twilfitt arrived and she grinned at the two of them.

"Wonderful to see you again, my Lady. I must admit I'm enjoying providing the formal wear for two such prominent figures in our society." She gushed, flicking her wand at Harry to begin measurements.

"I must warn you though, don't go too overboard, I fear that he'll shoot up over the summer." She cautioned, and giggled when Madame Twilfitt looked at her in mock horror.

"My dear, I'll have you know that the only reason clothes from my prestigious establishment is because of damage and wear and tear. All of the items you have and will purchase can be altered to fit a growing boy like Harry." She sniffed in mock objection, and then laughed at her own antics.

The next few hours passed quickly as they had the day before, filled with trading banter with Madame Twilfitt and Laura, and occasionally Harry would chime in with a witty remark. They left the shop with bags of clothes, and smiles on their faces.

They repeated the process at the same department store in Muggle London that Alexandra had visited the day before. Harry changed into a pair of smart black jeans and a blue button-up shirt and shoes the Muggles called Vans.

As they approached the sports shop, Alexandra began to explain the benefits of physical fitness to a confused Harry. "In a duel, Harry, if you can keep moving for longer, you can avoid more spells for a longer time, giving you an advantage over your opponent, who will likely not be as fit as you will. Not to mention that it'll keep you healthy and improve your Quidditch skills. In fact, I might even suggest that to your captain…"

Harry selected a few t-shirts and sleeveless shirts as she had, along with shorts, joggers and sports socks. He picked out two pairs of Nike shoes, and she picked up another pair as well. She planned for one to be indoor and the other outdoor, and she also grabbed a few water bottles and a sweat band for their hair.

After apparating back to the Alley, they bought ice creams and as they ate them they ventured into a miscellaneous items shop, where they bought wand holsters for their arms and duelling kit: baggy black trousers that allowed movement and soft dragonhide boots that masked their footsteps.

Together, they called back their owls and Harry wrapped his arms around Alexandra, who had an owl on each shoulder, and with a crack they apparated to their new home, Potter Manor.


	6. The Manor

**A/N: I'm not making money from this. This is J.K.'s world, I'm just playing in it.**

Alexandra pulled them out of limbo with a crack, and they landed in what seemed to be an open moor, with only grass growing around their feet. Harry's arms were still wrapped around her waist, and once he felt the ground beneath him, he removed his left arm and looked around them.

"Umm, Alexandra? I thought we were going to the Manor?" he said, and she could hear his confusion in his voice.

"We are at the Manor, it's just concealed by wards. Now, if I remember rightly, there should be a stone somewhere near your feet with _othila_ , the rune for home carved on it…"

As she spoke, they both began searching through the grass for the elusive stone, which was found by Hedwig a few moments later. She swooped down and dropped the rock into Alexandra's hand.

"Harry, touch your wand to the rune, and the wards will recognise your magical signature and let you in." she explained, drawing her own wand and tapping the carved shape with the tip. A gust of wind brushed through the grass and the air began to ripple before her. When it cleared, she and Harry stood in the gardens of a large manor of beige coloured stone. There were three floors and two trees stood either side of the main entrance. Each end of the manor had extra detail on the top which would allow for Astronomy or an outdoor reading room, and on the left side of the manor a staircase led directly to the second floor, and concealed the kitchens.

Harry, who had activated the rune with his own wand, was staring in shock at his new home. Between the two of them and the manor were extensive gardens with small hedges that would reach her knees, and two water features: one was a fountain and the other a pool with a small statue.

Alexandra turned and grinned at her cousin, and tugged on his shirt. "Come on, let's go inside!" she said, and began making her way up the path, her heels crunching on the gravel and her robes flowing in the breeze. Harry quickly caught up with her as she reached the main entrance.

As if she had done it a hundred times before, she reached out her left hand and touched her Head ring to the deep brown double doors, and Harry quickly copied her. "The Head and the Heir have come home." She declared, and the doors glowed and swung open, revealing a large entrance hall with deep oaken panelling. A large granite fireplace dominated the opposite wall, with space above to hang portraits.

Harry took a tentative step into the hall and looked around, and she followed, her shoes clacking against the wooden planks of the floor. Alexandra could see that the manor had been well looked after in the years it had lay empty, but no portraits hung from the walls, and all was quiet in the house. A staircase on either side of the fireplace led to a balcony that overlooked the entrance hall.

Hedwig and Sirius soared through the open doors and landed on the mantelpiece of the fireplace, and her owl squawked at her, and she pulled the doors closed.

"Maybe there are still house elves here?" suggested Harry, his right hand hovering near the handle of his wand, and he took a small step towards the older woman. Alexandra nodded and cleared her throat.

"The Head of House Potter calls the family house-elves!" she cried, and there were four loud cracks as she finished speaking. The elves that stood in front of them wore crisp white pillowcases with the Potter crest over their hearts and no shoes. One was clearly very old, whereas the other three had smoother skin and looked much younger.

"Greetings, Mistress. I is being Jigs, and I is the Head Elf for the Potters. The others be Toker, Poky and Missy. How can we's be helping you?" said a male elf in the middle of the row. Each elf bowed as their name was called out, and looked between Harry and Alexandra in curiosity.

"Good afternoon, Jigs. My name is Alexandra Potter-Black and this is my cousin Harry Potter. We've come to take up residence here. Could one of you give us a tour of the manor?" she said, glancing down at Harry, who was grinning excitedly at the elves.

The elves stared wide-eyed at her, and then looked at harry. "Yous is being Mistress Alexandra? Master James' favourite cousin?" asked Toker, taking a step closer. She blushed and nodded. "I was only his favourite because I was his only cousin."

Toker looked at Harry again and his big eyes teared up. "Young Master Harry is looking so much like Master James, but Mistress Lily's eyes are there. Us elves be missing them very much."

Alexandra felt her own eyes welling up and she blinked them back quickly. "We miss them too, Toker. Every day."

She put a hand on Harry's shoulder, squeezing tightly, then turned back to the elves. "Now, what about that tour?"

Poky quickly volunteered, and the others returned to their duties. They had been alerted the day before by the goblins setting up the wards that there would be new residents and had cleaned the first and second floors, while the gardens had been maintained over the years.

Alexandra and Harry were shown the first floor, which held the formal rooms: a reception, sitting room, dining room, ballroom, Head of House study and the kitchens. Poky explained that each of the elves was responsible for an area of the manor- she took care of the family rooms on the second floor; Jigs presided over the first floor and Toker, the eldest, cleaned the third floor. Missy was the cook, and was responsible for maintaining the kitchens and food within the house.

The second floor held the more informal family rooms: an informal ballroom, three more studies, a communal sitting room, an extensive library, a duelling room and six bedrooms including the master bedroom, which all had en suites in the East Wing. Jigs appeared to show Alexandra the entrance to a secret library concealed within the master bedroom with Darker and more rare books. The third floor held only guest bedrooms and bathrooms in the West Wing, and the East Wing played host to a nursery, playroom and classroom as well as an owlery.

The cellar held only an extensive potions lab that Harry thought Professor Snape would drool over and a wine cellar that included bottles from the 1800s, covered in dust. When the tour had finished, it was already past 6:00PM, and Missy provided piping hot jacket potatoes with beans that Harry and Alexandra carried up to the family sitting room.

She sat down on a couch with a sigh, having kicked off her heels, robes and blazer some time ago. Harry had also abandoned his shoes and curled up on the sofa next to her, and they watched as Poky lit a fire and left the room.

"What do you think of the Manor? Do you like it here?" she asked, spooning up some of the potato, and looking at her cousin. He nodded, his black hair flipping into his eyes, and grinned toothily at her.

"I love it, I can't believe I actually live here now!" He exclaimed. "I can't wait to spend the summer here, and it'll be nice to have somewhere and someone to come home to during the holidays." Harry added shyly, looking at his plate.

She reached over and ruffled his hair gently, and he pouted at her. "Lex, you're ruining my hair." He whined, pushing at her hand and shuffling away.

"Speaking of holidays," she continued, "there's a lot to tell you. A lot of things are going to change, Harry, and I'm afraid you're not going to like some of them. Moving into the Manor, and taking charge of the Houses are the first of them. People have been keeping information from you, and we'll talk more about that in the morning. For now, all I can do is promise you that I'll tell you everything. I swear it. No secrets between us, okay? You tell me everything, and I tell you everything."

Harry's face grew more and more concerned as she kept speaking, but brightened when she mentioned no secrets. "Yeah, okay, that's good. Thanks for trusting me. Everyone else seems to think I'm too young to know."

Alexandra smiled wryly. "Kiddo, I think you're too young. Hell, I think _I'm_ too young. I'm responsible for you and I'm only twenty! But these are different circumstances, and we can't afford to hide anything from each other. So I'm prepared to tell you what I know in the morning. Now, in the meantime, how about you tell me all about your first year, and I'll tell you about mine? Then we can talk about our second years."

"Well, when I got my Hogwarts letter, Uncle Vernon ripped it up, but the school kept sending more and more until hundreds arrived at once. He took us to this little shack on a rock in the sea, and…"

As the night continued, Harry regaled her with tales of the Mirror of Erised, and the Philosopher's Stone, while she spoke of meeting Charlie Weasley and Sienna Bell, older sister of the Chaser whom Harry played Quidditch with, pranks and late night excursions about the castle. Alexandra had just finished telling Harry about winning the Quidditch Cup playing as a Beater in second year when he slipped into sleep, his head falling on her shoulder.

Their dinner long ago cleared away, she scooped up the young boy and carried him into the room opposite the master bedroom and settling him into bed.

 _He looks so peaceful when he's sleeping. I wish I could keep him this way forever: happy and safe, but Voldemort is coming for him._ As she brushed the hair off his face, her gaze hardened and her jaw set. _I may not be able to stop his rise, but I will keep him away from Harry._

Alexandra took a final look at the sleeping Harry, and slipped out of the room and across the hall into the master bedroom, falling into bed with a sigh. She was asleep before her head touched the pillow.


	7. Truth Telling

**A/N: I'm not making any money from this. This is J.K.'s world, I'm just playing in it.**

Alexandra woke up with a groan, and sat up in bed. One of the elves had clearly been in her room at some point during the night, and swapped her suit to a tank top and shorts. Swinging her legs out of the bed, she looked around the room, appraising it.

The colour scheme was dove grey and white with dark wood, and there was a tall window on the right of the bed, a few meters away. Two mahogany bedside tables stood either side of the bed with lamps on, and opposite the foot of the bed was a vanity complete with mirror, chair and drawers. A full length mirror stood next to the window, with another tall window on its other side. On the right of the bed between the window and the bedside table was a door that presumably led to her bathroom, considering there was another door opposite it that was cracked open and she could see that one of the elves had put away her clothes, which she had opened for them during the tour. Her wand had been placed on the table nearest to her.

She shuffled into the shower, washing her body quickly and then changed into denim shorts and a loose white shirt, sticking her wand in her back pocket. As she walked downstairs, she pulled her black locks into a top knot on her head, and she stifled a yawn when she entered the kitchen. Missy was cleaning one of the surfaces when she walked in and sat at one of the stools at the island.

"Good morning, Mistress! What can Missy be cooking for you?" squeaked the house-elf, bowing to the sleepy witch.

"Morning, Missy. Can I have a mocha coffee, fresh fruit and scrambled eggs?" she asked, spinning the stool so she could stretch her back.

"Right away, Mistress!" said Missy, and happily went about cracking eggs and chopping fruit.

Alexandra spied a copy of the _Prophet_ lying on the worktop and began flicking through the day's issue. As soon as breakfast was ready she thanked Missy and headed up to the library with the food and coffee.

The library was easily her favourite room in the Manor- every wall was covered in books stacked on deep coloured wooden shelves. There was a balcony that provided access to the top six shelves on the left side of the room and along the left wall were tall windows that were spaced out by bookshelves. The central area of the room had various sofas, armchairs and research stations, and there was even a grand piano in the corner.

The evening before, Poky had explained that there was a ledger that recorded all the books in the Manor Library and where they were. For example, if you wrote _animagi_ on the ledger, it would show you a list of all the books on animagi in the library.

Alexandra picked up the quill that lay on the lectern next to the ancient tome, and scrawled _mind projection_ on the parchment. It was simple enough to collect the three titles, and by the time Harry had come looking for her, she was sipping coffee and reading the third book.

Harry's hair was all over the place, and the pyjama pants the elves had changed him into were hanging low on his hips. As he walked over to her desk he rubbed his eyes and pushed his glasses back up his nose.

"Morning, Lexa. What'cha doin'?" he asked sleepily, leaning on her chair and peering at the books. "Mind projection? What's that for?"

Alexandra smiled at him, and gestured for him to pull up a seat. _It's only been a day and he's already given me a nickname._ "Well, I'm setting up the blood wards this morning and I wanted you to be able to see what I'm doing, so this spell, _projekti mia menso,_ will allow me to show you." She explained, pointing to the introductory paragraph. "The rest of it just explains the workings of the spell and how to use it in tandem with what you're doing in your mind."

"That's so cool! Wait, how do you know how to put up blood wards? Is it a pureblood thing?" Harry's eyes brightened in curiosity as he devoured the information on the page, looking up at her eagerly.

"When I left Hogwarts, I took up the offer of a two year long cursebreaker apprenticeship in France. Normally apprenticeships last closer to five years, but my Master, Sebastien Martinez, had been following my Hogwarts achievements since fourth year, and believed I could do it in two. So he taught me a lot about wards- putting them up as well as taking them down. The blood wards he taught me were much more complicated and secure than the ones a pureblood child would learn." As she talked, she and Harry stood and began making their way downstairs and out of the Manor.

The grass was cool beneath her feet as they made their way to the edge of the wards. The Manor owned the five kilometres around it, so as they walked she decided to broach the subject of Dumbledore. _Better now than late, I guess._

"Harry, I need you to be very honest with me now. How do you feel about Professor Dumbledore?" she asked, watching his face carefully for any emotions. Unfortunately Harry had learnt to conceal his feelings very well while at the Dursley's, so she couldn't tell what he was going to say, if he would speak at all.

After a long lapse in conversation, Harry began to reply. "I always wondered why he left me with them all those years. No one ever came to check up on me until I didn't reply to my Hogwarts letter, and even then, my first letter was addressed to the cupboard under the stairs. I just figured he didn't care a whole lot. Then when I came to Hogwarts, he put me in a lot of danger. I mean, it's stupid to tell a school not to go to a certain room, because obviously people will. And Hermione could open the door with _alohomora,_ which is a first year spell, and we got through the traps fairly quickly, considering they were supposed to hold back Voldemort. After I…killed Quirrell, he wouldn't tell me how I could burn him with my hands…well, he said it was _love_. Like that's going to help me kill a man?

"Second year was worse. He wouldn't close down the school even though there was a _basilisk_ on the loose, and I don't believe that he didn't know: there're only a few things powerful enough to petrify a ghost. He let the whole school isolate me when they thought I was the Heir of Slytherin… it just seems like me as a person isn't his first priority."

Alexandra blinked in surprise. _I thought that showing him the truth about Dumbledore would be much harder than this, but he's already figured most of it out! Merlin…_

"I'm sorry Harry. I'm so sorry that I wasn't here when you started Hogwarts, and I'm sorry that I didn't claim guardianship sooner… I had no idea James and Lily had even named me in their wills. You were never supposed to go to Petunia- your parents had a whole list of people you would have lived with had Dumbledore not sealed their wills. Harry, Dumbledore's been stealing money from you. Your trust vault held 50, 000 Galleons when you were born, and now holds 35, 900. He puts some every two years into his own vaults, and for the past two years he's been paying some of the Weasleys."

Harry's face paled and his eyes darkened as she continued, and he clenched his jaw. She reached out and wrapped an arm around his shoulders. It wasn't fair that he had to find out his first friend was paid to get close to him, and the woman whom he thought cared for him like a son was manipulating him into marrying her daughter for his money and fame.

"What do you mean, paying some of the Weasleys? Who?" Harry's voice was low and full of rage, and she could sense his magic bubbling to the surface in response to his emotions.

"Dumbledore paid Ronald, Ginevra and Molly Weasley to befriend you and bring you under their control. Ginevra was to begin seducing you when you were in fourth year, and Ronald would begin dosing you with potions brewed by Molly if that didn't work. They want your money and the lifestyle it could bring them, Harry. I'm so sorry." She said, as a tear slipped out from his eye. Alexandra stopped walking and pulled him into a tight hug.

His arms went about her waist and his head fitted into the junction between neck and shoulder, and she whispered soothing French words that she didn't know before as she let him cry.

"Ssshhh, _ca va etre bien, mon lapin, je suis ici…"_

A few minutes passed, and Harry's tears dried up, and they loosened their embrace. His eyes had hardened again with a maturity that had not been there before their hug, and she felt a little piece of her heart break as she mourned the loss of his childhood.

"What do we do now?" he asked quietly, not meeting her eyes, but still standing close to her. She hooked a finger under his chin, and lifted his head to meet her firm gaze.

"We fight. We take down Voldemort and Dumbledore, and then we live happy, normal lives. I'm not going anywhere, I swear it. So now, this summer, we train. You're going to learn everything you could ever need to take down Voldemort, but I want you to understand that I'll be doing a bit more than you will. Some things I don't want you to have a part of, but you will know everything that I know. Is that okay?" she asked.

He nodded, and gave her a weak smile, and they began walking again. Harry knew on one level that she wouldn't leave him, and for some reason he seemed to trust her explicitly, but he knew it would take a bit of time before he could accept that he wouldn't be abandoned again.


	8. Blood Wards and Letter Writing

**A/N: I'm not making money from this. This is J.K.'s world, I'm just playing with it.**

Alexandra could see the edge of the wards as they approached. It took a cursebreaker's eye to see the faint blue ripple of the magical barriers, so she pulled Harry to a stop about five feet away from the boundary, and she sat down Indian style on the grass.

"Now, Harry, wards are very complicated and there are plenty of different types. Blood wards are possibly the most complicated, and to put one up, I will need to first connect to each of the wardstones around the grounds, and then connect to our magical signatures. I will then need to cut both our palms, and touch the Potter ring to the blood to tie it all in to the family magic. With me so far?"

Harry nodded eagerly, settling down on the grass and pushing his hair back. Getting a firm grip on her wand, she touched the tip to her forehead and spoke. " _Projekti mia menso."_

In front of her, the air began to ripple and change, and she could see the image of the book she had been perusing that morning form before her. "Okay, so now I'm going to search for the wardstones, you'll be able to see the process in the image."

Closing her eyes again, she dove deep into her being until she reached a large golden ball of swirling light: her magical core. Alexandra concentrated, and the ball began to send out tendrils of magic that left her body in search of the stones. There were seven in total around the boundaries of the Manor to anchor the wards, and she felt an added rush of energy as she connected with each one.

Another probe reached out to Harry, and she saw his magical signature in her mind's eye. Once she was connected, she reached out with her wand and her hand for Harry's. With a whisper of " _Diffindo,"_ she made a shallow incision on both of their right palms, and she interlinked her hand with Harry's to let their blood connect. Her left hand brought the Potter ring up to touch the blood, and she reached out with her magic again into the stone, where the family magic was partially anchored for this purpose. A griffin appeared in her mind- the Potter totem- and allowed her to take a tendril of magic and connect it to the blood.

When she opened her eyes again, where their hands were connected was a strong amber glow, and as she completed the ward, the glow expanded, almost blinding her, and in a flash it was gone. She could see an amber coloured dome going up around the house, and she sighed in relief, sagging back on her hands.

"Wow." Exclaimed Harry, looking at the new ward. "That's incredible! Will you teach me to do that?"

Alexandra smiled. _Such an eager kid._ "Of course, but it'll have to wait a few years until your core is stable enough to complete it. Such strong magic could permanently damage your capabilities."

He nodded and stood up, reaching out a hand to haul her to her feet. She tapped her wand to the cut on his hand and sealed the wound, removing all traces of an injury from his skin and doing the same to hers.

By the time they got back to the Manor, Harry had bombarded her with questions about curse breaking which she had answered with ease and detailed knowledge that seemed to come from nowhere. Like Dispater had said, her Muggle memories were fading quickly and being replaced by her new life.

"So, Harry, we have a lot to talk about when it comes to what we'll be doing for the summer." She began, as they sat down in the sitting room again. She tucked her feet underneath her on the armchair and leaned on one of the arms. "Part of it will be lessons on pureblood etiquette, politics and financial things, but the other two parts of your training will be physical and magical work. Another part of the summer will be focusing on our goals and how to get them- alliances, things like that. We'll start physical training in the morning, but today I want to get 'admin' done. So, I want you to go through your first and second year textbooks, and make notes on each chapter if it helps.

If you see anything you want to practice, like a spell, or something you don't understand or have a question about, tell me. Meanwhile, I'll be letter writing and scheming. What do you think of inviting Neville Longbottom to join you in training?"

Throughout her speech, Harry had been getting more and more excited, and he was practically hanging off her every word by the end. As soon as she mentioned Neville, he began nodding. "I'd really like that, Lexa. I feel like because of … Ron, I've neglected Neville a bit, and I'd like to get to know him better."

"Wonderful," she beamed, running a hand through her hair. "Now, it's much too lovely outside to stay in here, so what say you we head up to that balcony on the top of the Manor?"

"That sounds good, I'll go and get all my books!" he exclaimed, jumping up and running out of the room. She chuckled and stood up, stretching her back like a cat.

"Jigs!" she called, and with a snap, the elf was before her, bowing low.

"What can Jigs be doing for Mistress?" he asked.

Alexandra smiled. "Well, first of all, you don't have to bow to me when you arrive unless we're in…uncomfortable company, but I'd let you know beforehand. I'll make that an order if I have to, but I want you and the others to be part of the family, not just our servants."

Jigs beamed, and hugged her leg in a surprising display of affection. "Thank you Mistress!" he squeaked, and she rested a hand on his head. "Was there something else?"

"Yes, could you fetch some parchment, envelopes, a quill and ink and the Potter and Black seals from my study, please, and take them up to the balcony on the top?"

Jigs nodded, and with a crack he disappeared. By the time she got to the balcony, Harry was already sitting on a chair reading a Transfiguration textbook, and her writing equipment was sitting on a desk that overlooked the front gardens of the house. She sat down, and began writing.

 _Dear Lady Longbottom,_

 _My name is Alexandra Potter-Black, and I have just come into the Headship of both Houses. If at all possible, I would like to request an audience with you at your earliest convenience to discuss the future of our Houses. My cousin, Harry, is a roommate of Neville's and as such I would like to extend him an offer. I will be taking a more active role in training my Heir for the war we both know is coming. The events at Hogwarts for the past two years make it clear that the Dark Lord is stirring, and I want Harry prepared for when he does. If you and Neville agree, I would invite him to join our training this summer._

 _Cordially,_

 _Lady Potter-Black_

She signed the letter with a flourish and sealed the envelope with the seals of both her Houses, and set it aside. The owls had taken up residence in the owlery, and she had not seen either since they arrived at the Manor. The next set of letters were addressed to Andromeda Tonks and Narcissa Malfoy. 'Malfoy' was an old French name, and while it carried weight within the Ministry thanks to Lucius, it held no meaning within the Wizengamot. It therefore came under the primacy ruling- since House Black was an older family, House Malfoy bowed under it, and so Lucius and his son were pseudo-members of her House. The same applied to Andromeda's husband and daughter, and to Bellatrix's husband, although Alexandra fully intended to cut her off from the family and the House magic.

The letters called each daughter of House Black, their husbands and children to a family meeting at Grimmauld Place in three days' time to discuss the future of the House. Whilst there, she would assess the old family elf that she knew lived there, and probably hire more elves to take care of the many Black residences.

She was just signing her third letter when Harry called for her. Looking up, she saw him standing next to her clutching a textbook for Charms. "Lexa, I've just had a thought. I made my choices for third year electives in Easter, but I think I want to change them now that I've got a new perspective on things."

Alexandra sat back and looked at her cousin. In the day and a half he had been with her, he had surprised her more times than she could count. He had been so accepting of her, someone he had never met, and trusted her unquestionably when she told him that his friend was lying to him every day. He was already turning a new leaf over, and she could see him becoming a bit more open, a bit more eager as the hours went by. It was truly remarkable, and she was incredibly proud.

Truth be told, she was shocked at how much she already loved him- she knew she'd step in front of Voldemort for him just as Lily, James, Sirius and Remus had done, without question. On impulse, she reached out and clasped his hand in hers, making him smile shyly and blush a little.

"Go on, Harry." She encouraged, and his smile widened.

"Well, I chose Care of Magical Creatures and Divination, but I'm starting to think I should do something else. I only chose Divination because…Ron did, but I think I'd really like to do COMC, and not just to support Hagrid."

She nodded, and straightened in her chair. "Okay, COMC sounds good, from what I've heard you have somewhat of a talent with those anyway, and I'll be honest, the other options are pretty useless apart from Ancient Runes. Arithmancy is using numbers to predict an outcome, but I think we'll be okay on that front, and Muggle Studies…well you grew up a Muggle so again, no need taking that course. Runes, however, are useful- I got an Outstanding in my OWL, and took it to NEWT level. They're very useful in protection as you've already seen, not to mention curse breaking. So, I think you should take COMC and Runes."

Harry thought it over for a moment and nodded. "Great! I'll write to Hermione in a moment, and Neville as well, but I'll ask Hermione what she's doing to prepare for Runes. Oh, by the way, I was wondering if we could get third year books a bit early? I know we don't have a book list, but some of its pretty obvious, and I want to get a head start." He looked nervous in asking that of her, and her heart ached for him. _I swear to Merlin, I'll kill that old goat if he ever so much as lays a finger on Harry ever again._

Alexandra squeezed his hand. "Sure thing. We can go to Diagon in a few days, when we know if Neville will be joining us."

Harry beamed at her, and his eyes shone with excitement. "Thanks, Lexa!" With a bound, he was back on the chair reading his textbook furiously, jotting down notes every now and again. She chuckled, and turned back to sealing her letters. When that was done, she cast a quick _Tempus_ and saw it was nearing 2:30PM.

"Poky!" she called, and an elf stood on the balcony again. "Could you bring up the books that I had in my trunk last night, please, and also ask Missy for some lunch?"

The elf nodded, and with a squeak of "Yes, Mistress!" she popped away.

Alexandra stood up and stretched, twisting so that her back popped as she moved. She moved over to the edge of the balcony and leaned off the edge, one arm wrapped around a pillar. Two fingers went in her mouth and she let out a whistle. Within seconds Sirius was winging towards her, and screeched as he neared her, prompting her to stick out an arm for him to land on.

"Hello, Siri. Could you take these letters for me? They're for Augusta Longbottom, Andromeda Tonks and Narcissa Malfoy. Go to Augusta first please, then whoever's nearest. I'll make sure you get some treats when you get back, Wiltshire's quite far, but you're a strong owl, aren't you?"

Sirius puffed up his chest as if to prove that he could make it easily, and the behaviour reminded her of the other Sirius, who made her laugh with his mock confidence and exaggerated poses. She blinked back tears and set about attaching the letters to her owl's leg, and watched him fly away into the countryside and past the wards.

Poky popped back with her books, which she set on the desk, and laid out sandwiches, fruit and pink lemonade for them on the coffee table, and after thanking Poky, she and Harry set aside their work and began their lunch.

"You know, we should really get ourselves watches. I don't want to have to keep casting _Tempus_ , especially if I'm around Muggles."

Harry hummed in approval as he took a bite out of his BLT, and she crossed her legs and sat back with her own sandwich.

"I wanted to talk about training while we eat. Physical will consist of laps of the Quidditch pitch every morning, until you can't run any further. Your endurance will slowly build up, so don't worry about going a certain distance. Then I think an hour of weights and boxing, and hopefully we can alternate that with a Muggle martial arts class once we find somewhere suitable. Then I think an hour on Charms, DADA, Transfiguration, Potions, Herbology and History. We don't need to worry about History of Magic all too much, I just want to catch you and Neville up on what Binns is supposed to have taught you over the past two years. That shouldn't take too long, so once we've finished that we can move onto teaching you Runes." She explained, taking a bite out of her sandwich every now and again.

"Then for an hour after dinner we can talk about political movements and forming an Alliance within the Wizengamot. Don't forget that just because there are only fifteen Houses, we still want important Ministry officials on our side. Then weekends you have free apart from physical in the mornings, and a couple of hours on Saturdays to teach you pureblood etiquette. I expect Andromeda- she's a daughter of House Black- will want to teach that, and we have to teach you to dance as well. Is this all sounding good to you?" she asked.

Harry had finished his sandwiches and had moved onto spearing fruit as she spoke. A piece of watermelon was halfway to his mouth when she asked a question and he froze comically, making her giggle. He put down the fruit and nodded. "I think…the summer will be busy. Good busy. I'm actually looking forward to it."

Alexandra reached for a glass of the lemonade, and grinned. "Don't worry, it won't be all work. I think we'll spend a week or two on holiday in one of the houses, and if we're very lucky, we might be able to arrange a trip to Romania. You remember Charlie Weasley, right?"

Harry shook his head. "I never met him. Ron told me he works on a dragon reserve in Romania though. Why, do you know him?"

She grinned. "Weren't you listening to my stories last night? I've known Charlie since I was eleven, though I haven't seen him in two years. If he's not angry with me, we might be able to go visit him at work!"

"Why would he be angry with you?"

Alexandra sighed and set down her glass. "I attended Hogwarts under a false name. After what happened with you and Voldemort, my parents were worried that Death Eater sympathizers would come after me because of my last name. Charlie and Sienna- Katie Bell's sister- have no idea that I'm a Potter, and now I'm making a return to Britain that will spread my name and my face all over the Prophet, along with yours. I just hope they'll understand."

The younger boy reached over and grabbed her hand comfortingly, as she stared into empty space. "I'm sure they will. It'll be okay. Besides, you have me."

The witch turned and smiled at her cousin, squeezing his hand back. "You're right. I do. And I'm never going to give you up."


	9. Training Begins

**A/N: I'm not making money from this. This is J.K.'s world, I'm just playing in it.**

Alexandra and Harry spent the rest of the day going through Harry's textbooks and watching Harry fly on his Nimbus. They had agreed that they would play Quidditch as soon as she could get her hands on a broom, which would be on Friday, after their audience with Ragnok. They had gone to bed tired but happy, and she woke with a smile on her face.

After discovering it was 7:00AM, she dragged herself out of bed and woke up Harry, and retreated to her own room to pull on her workout gear. Shorts, a tank top and her outdoor Nikes completed her look, and she jogged downstairs and out the back entrance to wait for Harry.

The cool morning air woke her up, and she could feel the warmth of the sunlight on her face as she began stretching. Technically speaking, she had done no physical exercise for over three weeks because of the accident, but her customary stretches came back to her with ease.

Looking over the grounds, she smirked to herself. Potter Manor had incredible outdoor facilities- their very own full size Quidditch pitch, a swimming pool, tennis courts and a separate building housed a gym with weight machines and a boxing ring. Clearly, Charlus Potter, Harry's grandfather, had appreciated the Muggle way of keeping fit as much as she did. She was surprised that she hadn't noticed them before, but they had been pointed out by Harry the previous afternoon.

The boy in question, however, had not arrived, so Alexandra set off running, allowing the pounding of her feet and the sound of her breath clear her thoughts as she ran. Running had always cleared her head when she was younger, and it worked now. She hardly noticed when Harry came to run as well, but after completing five laps, she stopped as he lay panting on the floor after three.

Leaning back with her hands on her hips she took a few deep breaths, before going to haul Harry to his feet. "Not bad, kiddo. Each lap is about a kilometre, so I'm impressed you made it so far. Must be all the Quidditch you play." She said with a wink, making her way to the gym.

The hour that followed was interesting- consisting mostly of her teaching Harry how to throw a punch and setting him against a punching bag while she used the weights machines.

Breakfast was a welcome relief, even for her, and Harry practically inhaled the food Missy had prepared, much to the elf's delight.

After a quick shower, and changing into a pair of jeggings, a black cami and a red checked shirt, she sat down in her study to read the mail that had been delivered during the night and the morning. Two were merely confirmations of the meeting from Andromeda and Narcissa as well as congratulations for the Headship, but it was Augusta's letter she was really interested in.

 _Dear Lady Potter-Black,_

 _First allow me to offer my congratulations on your new position, I'm sure that you will prove a formidable addition to the Wizengamot._ _I invite you to Longbottom Manor on June 24_ _th_ _at 10 o'clock. I will send a portkey a few minutes prior to allow you to bypass the wards, if this is agreeable to you. In terms of Neville training with Harry, I wholeheartedly accept. It will be good for my son, and good for your cousin to have this extra tuition, and I thank you for your thoughtfulness. I very much look forward to discussing the future of our Houses- Houses Potter and Longbottom were once in alliance when James and Frank were young, and I would like to discuss a renewal of that alliance. House Black, however, has committed a crime towards my House, and while I understand that you have nothing to do with the atrocity committed, I expect to see full punishment enacted and proper recompense paid. Nevertheless, I feel it is something we should discuss in person._

 _I look forward to your visit._

 _Cordially,_

 _Lady Longbottom._

Alexandra breathed a sigh of relief. While she had anticipated House Longbottom to be the first to join forces with them, she had expected Augusta to prove more of a challenge to win over. It would be good to discuss the issue of Frank and Alice, and she knew exactly what she would offer to Augusta.

Checking the time, she hurried up to the third floor East Wing, where Harry waited in the classroom. The room resembled McGonagall's classroom at Hogwarts, save the stone walls and floor. "Hey, kiddo. We can expect Neville to be joining us in a few days, so all we'll do till then is go over first and second year work for each, and maybe a bit more emphasis on Herbology, since it sounds like Neville's a natural. "

For the next four hours, Alexandra put Harry through his paces, casting every charm, spell and jinx in the first year course. Potions went surprisingly well- it turned out that without Snape breathing down his neck, Harry was rather competent.

They ate lunch down in the kitchen, discussing the morning's work. "It's clear you're perfectly capable when it comes to practical work, but we'll need to work on theory. I think we should tack on another hour in each subject until we get the theory nailed for both years. We can do theory as we go when we start third year work." She suggested as they ate the homemade pizza Missy had prepared.

Harry nodded as he took another mouthful. "That's a good idea- I was thinking you could set me and Neville essays over the weekend- not loads, but maybe two every week, just so we can practice how to write one?"

Alexandra grinned. "Very good, Harry, proactive thinking. 5 points to Gryffindor!" she joked, coaxing a laugh out of her cousin. "I wanted to ask you about going back to Hogwarts. Do you really want to go back? Personally, I'd rather not send you back to Dumbledore's domain, but if you want to, I need to put in place some protection."

Harry put down his pizza, and chewed thoughtfully. "I think I'll go back. Hogwarts…was my first home. I don't think I could ever feel right going to another school, but if you think it's not safe, I'll go to another."

She shook her head. "No. If you want to stay at Hogwarts you'll stay. Remember what I said when we first met? If you want something, I'll get it. I'll make sure you're safe there. I was always one of McGonagall's favourites, not to mention your mother. I'm pretty sure she had a soft spot for James and his friends too. So if I can't be there, she will be, at least until I can get there."

Harry grinned across the table, and she smiled back. _I'm so lucky. A second life with Harry for a cousin…I can barely remember my Muggle life, and honestly, I don't think I care all that much. My parents in this world were much more loving than my Muggle ones ever were, and my friends here are closer than my old ones… maybe this is all for the best._

The afternoon again passed quickly- Herbology and History were short and kind of interesting, but she took pleasure in explaining to Harry the mechanics of _Wingardium Leviosa,_ and seeing his eyes light up in understanding. The pair then retired to their studies to write letters, and she found herself sitting in front of parchment again. After a moment's pause, she began writing.

 _Dear Headmaster Dumbledore,_

 _My name is Alexandra Potter-Black. I would like to request a meeting on June 28_ _th_ _to discuss my cousin Harry's safety at the school. I am concerned after hearing reports of a basilisk killed by Harry only a few weeks ago, and that Voldemort was possessing one of your teachers, and I would like to hear your plans for updating the security of the school, as I'm sure you are doing, since they are clearly inadequate._

 _Sincerely,_

 _Lady Potter-Black._

She smirked in satisfaction. The letter was polite, but sent a few subtle digs at Dumbledore that satisfied her anger. The letters that followed were addressed to McGonagall and Flitwick, asking for a joint meeting after seeing Dumbledore, to discuss Harry's progress in school. The letters were sent off and she and Harry met again for dinner.

"I've written to Neville and Hermione. I thought it would be good to initiate contact with Neville, considering we'll be spending the summer together." Mentioned Harry as he sat down.

"Good! I've sent letters to Dumbledore, Flitwick and McGonagall, and I should be seeing them on the 28th. Successful evening!" she joked, reaching for the salad.

"I think we should take the evening off, and not worry about beginning plotting. I want to see where we stand in Hogwarts and with the Longbottoms and House of Black before we make any decisions." She added, glancing up at Harry.

"Sounds good to me. You're seeing Augusta tomorrow, so let's assume that'll take most of the morning. What do you want me to do?"

"We'll have time for physical and an hour of Charms, but then you can begin going through the practical of Transfiguration and DADA. Leave Potions and do Herbology instead- Potions is more likely to go wrong. When I get back, we can talk about my meeting, then an hour of Potions, History and theory work. Alright?"

"Perfect."


	10. Lady Longbottom

**A/N: I'm not making any money from this. This is J.K's world, I'm just playing in it.**

The next morning, after their physical training, Alexandra slipped into a set of robes that she would normally only use for the Wizengamot, with the Potter and Black crests over her heart, but she knew that Lady Longbottom was very formal, and wanted to make a good impression.

Under her robes she wore a long sleeved black t shirt with a pleated floral skirt and a necklace with triangle shapes on it. It was formal but appropriate for the weather, and teamed the outfit with a pair of blocky black heels.

Harry's lesson in Charms showed her again his proficiency in the subject, as he performed every spell she threw at him with ease, and she packed away his first year books at the end of the session on the bookshelf in the classroom.

Casting a quick _tempus_ , she hurried down to her private study, leaving Harry with his books and a kiss she had dropped on his head as she left. As she arrived the portkey Augusta had sent appeared in the tray that brought her mail from the owlery to her study. It was a small, bear shaped brooch- the Longbottom totem, and after making sure that her wand was secure and her hair tamed, she touched a finger to the portkey and vanished.

Alexandra landed in the entrance hall of the Manor, and looked around her. She was alone, standing in a pale coloured room- the floor was marble and the pillars that held up the ceiling were made of pale stone. As she took a few hesitant steps forward, her heels making a resounding sound throughout the room, she wondered where her host was. _It's very unlike Augusta to leave a guest waiting_ , she thought, but before she could open her mouth to call out, Lady Longbottom swept into the room.

Her green eyes blazed as she looked the younger woman up and down, her expression proud and her greying hair was pulled back into a bun. Augusta's robes billowed about her as she strode through the room, and the bear of Longbottom stood proudly over her heart.

Alexandra's heart pounded as she approached, knowing she had to make a good impression on the other witch. When Augusta stopped before her and held out her hand, she bowed over it, bending her knees slightly as she spoke.

"Greetings, Lady Longbottom. I am honoured to make your acquaintance."

Technically speaking, it was Augusta who should be bowing to her, as the lines of Black and Potter were older than the line of Longbottom, but by speaking first and bowing to the older woman, Alexandra showed the older witch that she considered her to be an equal to her Houses.

Augusta raised an eyebrow, and Alexandra could have sworn she saw the corner of her mouth twitch into a smile. "As I am to make your acquaintance, Lady Potter-Black. Welcome to my home."

As Alexandra straightened and released her hand, the older woman met her gaze and held it firmly. Augusta could see that the young witch was nervous, so she smiled and gestured for her to follow as she began walking towards her formal sitting room.

Both witches matched their strides as they made their way further into the Manor. "You have a beautiful home, my Lady. Thank you for agreeing to see me on such short notice, it was most kind." Stated Alexandra as she took a seat. The sitting room had a fireplace on her right and windows that overlooked the gardens to her left, and each woman sat in a small, hard chair opposite each other.

Augusta nodded, and when she did not speak, Alexandra pressed on. "I would like to discuss the renewal of the alliance you mentioned in your letter. I have seen from the wills of the late Lord and Lady Potter that Lily was Neville's godmother, and I feel that it is important for Harry and Neville, as godbrothers, to continue the alliance of our Houses."

At that moment an elf popped in to deliver tea and cake, and Augusta began to pour tea for them both. "Yes, I agree. Now, before we make things final, I want to know where you stand in the war. You are not an idiot, Lady Potter-Black, we both know that You-Know-Who will make a return, and it is only a matter of when."

"Before I continue, I would like an oath that you will not reveal what I say to anyone else, this must stay between the two of us."

Augusta raised her eyebrows, but drew her wand. "I, Augusta Nerice Longbottom, of the Ancient and Most Noble House of Longbottom, do swear on my life and magic to not reveal the contents of the following conversation with Lady Alexandra Potter-Black. So I say, so mote it be."

There was a flash of light and Augusta replaced her wand in her robes, and motioned for her to continue as she reached for her tea.

"Naturally, I will oppose Voldemort. He has taken too much for me to allow him to rise again without opposition. However, I believe that there are two battles to fight. Albus Dumbledore is not to be trusted. He has been stealing from my cousin for almost twelve years, Harry lived in a cupboard until he was eleven. One of my sources, who alerted me to his dealings with Harry's vault, has reported that he plans to allow Harry to die facing Voldemort so that he can swoop in and appear to have defeated a second Dark Lord."

As she spoke, Augusta became more and more horrified, and when she finished, the older witch withdrew to look out of the window and over her land. For a few moments, there was silence and Augusta turned back.

"Lady Potter-Black, House Longbottom wishes to pledge allegiance to your House, and to form an alliance."

Alexandra nodded and stood, drawing her wand. She and Augusta pressed their left hands together and raised their wand simultaneously.

"Lady Longbottom, does your House swear allegiance to the Ancient and Most Noble House of Potter?"

"It does."

"Do you swear to remain loyal to House Potter until such time as the alliance disbands?"

"I do."

"And do you accept my own promise of loyalty and support to your House?"

"I do."

"The Houses of Longbottom and Potter are now joined in a binding alliance."

Both witches touched their wands to their Head rings, and spoke in unison.

"So we say, so mote it be."

Another blinding flash of light and the bear and griffin stood before them again. They bowed to each other, and the griffin nudged her side affectionately before disappearing.

Alexandra let out a breath of relief and grinned at Augusta, who chuckled at her enthusiasm. They retired to the sofas once more, settling back against the cushions.

"My Lady, please do me the favour of addressing me by my first name. Our Houses are in alliance, and so I see no need for unnecessary formalities."

"Of course, Alexandra, and please do the same for me."

Alexandra straightened again. _Okay, here comes the hard part._ "Augusta, I wish to discuss the crime committed by my House against yours twelve years ago. House Black owes you a great deal for the incapacitation of your Heir and his wife, you may ask anything of me, and I shall do my best to see it done."

Augusta's mouth became pinched as she spoke of her son, but raised an eyebrow at the open debt Alexandra was offering.

"Very well. I wish to see Bellatrix Lestrange, her husband and his brother thrown from House Black and stripped of their magic, permanently." Augusta had expected protest from the younger witch but was surprised when she nodded in agreement.

"Of course. It is no less than what I had already planned, and so I will offer House Longbottom the Lestrange vaults when they come into my possession, and House Black will pay for all Healers bills for the Heir and his wife. I am also more than happy to pay for Neville's schooling." She smiled. "I would also like to offer my apologies for what happened. It must be very hard for you and Neville to have them so close but not be able to reach them."

On an impulse, she reached across and grasped Augusta's hand as the witch blinked back her tears. "Thank you, Alexandra. I accept your offer of the Lestrange vaults and the payment of their treatment, but I must refuse when it comes to Neville's schooling. You are doing enough for him by inviting him to spend the summer training with you and Harry." She smiled, releasing her hand and sitting back.

"I would offer my advice on your political movements, however. I suggest we move to secure the allegiance of the Light and neutral Houses as quickly as possible. Between the two of us I am sure we can cover the Ancient and Most Noble Houses fairly quickly. The Minor Houses will be important to secure as well, and I am on good grounds with most of their Heads- Blishwick, Brown, Burke, Crouch, Gamp, MacDougal, Moody, Prewett, Prince, Rowle, Shacklebolt and Weasley. The others are Dark and will follow Lucius Malfoy. Once the old Houses are standing with us, I will work on the Minor Houses. I suggest you begin working within the ranks of Ministry officials within the Wizengamot."

"Augusta, I have something to confess. I attended Hogwarts, I graduated as Alexandra Henderson. The Sorting Hat agreed to keep my secret in first year, and my father managed to confound the magical book that records the birth of witches and wizards in Britain."

The older woman gasped comically, and her eyes widened. "Henderson? I remember you! You were Charlie Weasley's friend, weren't you? Gryffindor Prefect, graduated top of her year in DADA, Transfiguration, Charms and Runes! You were snatched up by that French cursebreaker straight after graduation, weren't you? Merlin…"

Alexandra blushed and giggled. "Charlie and the Weasleys have no idea of my real name- I used a glamour for seven years to hide James' eyes. I would have been recognised immediately."

Then her eyes became hard and Augusta blinked at the change in demeanour. "Tell Neville not to trust Molly, Ron and Ginny. They're being paid by that old goat to ensnare Harry- they've been spying on him. The others- Arthur, Bill, Charlie, Percy and the twins- are fine, but those three are dangerous. I'm fairly sure that Arthur's been under Amortentia since he left Hogwarts- Molly is somewhat of a Potions Mistress."

Augusta cursed rather violently under her breath, and stood, motioning for Alexandra to follow. They swept out of the room and towards the Floo. "I will send Neville over at 9:00AM to begin his work with Harry. While he is there, I will begin talks with House Bones- Amelia is a good friend of ours, Neville often visited her niece Susan, who is her Heir."

They came to a halt at the fireplace of the entrance hall again, and Alexandra inclined her head to the older witch. "Until next time, Augusta."

Taking a handful of Floo powder, she cast it into the flames, turning them green. With a cry of "Potter Manor!" she was gone.

Augusta smiled fondly at the empty fireplace. _She will make a formidable leader one day._


	11. The House of Black

**A/N: I'm not making money from this. This is J.K.'s world, I'm just playing in it.**

Alexandra was nervous. Today, she would be meeting with the entirety of the Black family who were not Death Eaters, with the exception of Lucius Malfoy. Not to mention the fact that Draco and Harry were enemies (thank Merlin that Harry wouldn't be there), and Narcissa and Andromeda were not speaking to each other. Oh, and Ted Tonks, a muggleborn, would be sitting down with Lucius Malfoy, pureblood supremacist. Wonderful!

The previous day's meeting with Augusta had gone spectacularly well and she and Harry had set up a large whiteboard in her study in their excitement. One side they had written _Potter-Black Alliance_ and on the other _Goals_. Under 'Goals' they had written objectives for that summer's training, such as cover all the third year work, improve fitness, begin Animagus training and start dueling. Other goals had included making Hogwarts safe for Harry, building alliances within Hogwarts, finding out how to kill Voldemort, taking down Dumbledore. She and Harry were eager to put their plans into action.

Neville had arrived two hours ago, and she set Harry off with some more theory work, while she walked Neville through the theory parts of first year Transfiguration and Charms. Neville was a bright lad and had picked it up much faster than Harry, so she left the two boys to go through practical work together while she was away.

Dressed in plain black robes, a white dress and black wedge heels, she headed for the apparition point she had set up in her study. With a deep breath, she spun quickly on the spot, thinking of the street that the Black house stood on. One handy thing she had discovered about the Head rings- they could direct her apparition to a family property if she hadn't been before.

She landed with a crack on the street, and made her way up to Number 12. It was not under the Fidelius and the wards were bypassed by her Head ring, so she easily opened the front door and stepped into the house. The hall was dark and dank, and quite frankly disgusting, so she hurried over to the sitting room where House Black would congregate. The goblins who had set up the wards over the house had told Kreacher, the moody house-elf, to clean the house for her, but only the sitting room was clean.

Whipping out her wand, she banished the remaining dirt from the room, and cast a few charms to freshen the air, and she sat down to wait for her new family.

After a few minutes the fireplace chimed and Andromeda walked out of the green flames, followed by her daughter, Nymphadora, and her husband Ted. Nymphadora had been in her year in Hogwarts, but a Hufflepuff, so while the two had been on pleasant terms, they had never been very close.

Alexandra rose from her seat and offered her hand to Andromeda. "It's lovely to meet you, Andromeda, and you Ted. This is your daughter, I assume?"

The tall woman grasped her hand tightly and grinned at her. "It's wonderful to see you, Alexandra- congratulations on your ascension. This is my daughter, Nymphadora Tonks."

The purple haired witch glared at her mother before turning to Alexandra. "Wotcher, Alexandra. If you don't mind, I prefer Tonks or Dora- anything but Nymphadora."

Ted rolled his eyes at his daughter, and Alexandra hid a giggle, and shook her hand. "Sure, Dora. It's nice to meet you."

She quickly greeted Ted and invited the family to sit as the Floo chimed again and Narcissa Malfoy nee Black swept into the room, with Draco and Lucius on her heels.

Alexandra straightened and offered her hand again to the proud witch. "Narcissa, Draco, Lucius. Welcome to Grimmauld Place. I'm pleased to make your acquaintance."

Narcissa raised an eyebrow, but took the hand and shook it delicately. "Lady Potter-Black. Charmed." She replied coolly, and took a seat opposite her sister. Draco bowed to her, mumbled a greeting, and scurried away to sit with his mother. Lucius, on the other hand, kissed her hand and bowed slightly.

"My Lady." He murmured, and Alexandra was relieved when he went to stand behind his wife and son. There was something about Malfoy Senior (aside from his Death Eater status) that unnerved her, and she had no plans to ever find out what it was.

With all the House members seated, she blocked the Floo with a wave of her wand, and turned to face the family, who all sat looking at her expectantly.

"Thank you all for coming when I called. There'll be a few changed that I'll make to the House, and I want you all to have a part in it. Andromeda, Nymphadora, Ted, I will reinstate you all into the family so that you can become full members. If you go to Gringotts and ask for Nurlor, he will take you through the ritual.

"As I'm sure you are all aware, I am also Head of House Potter, as Harry Potter's regent and guardian. Therefore, Black and Potter are allied once again, so Draco, you will not be allowed to make rude comments towards Harry, or derogatory comments in any way, shape or form. I will know if you do and you will be punished accordingly."

At this Draco's eyes widened, and he glanced between her and his mother frantically, but remained silent. Alexandra took the opportunity to continue, turning to look at the Tonks'.

"I am in need of an Heir for the Black seat. Despite Draco's past indiscretions, I have chosen to make him my Heir. If he does not show me that he can change in two years, I will find another candidate. I would have chosen you, Dora, but I know that Auror training is time-consuming and taking up the succession would have skewered your plans for becoming an Auror."

Dora winked and grinned at her. "No problem, Alexandra. Thanks for thinking of it from my point of view."

Alexandra smiled back, and took a step forward. "In terms of finances, Nurlor, who previously managed the Potter finances, is being given a trial as head of our vaults. If he does not increase the family wealth, I will fire him."

Narcissa raised her eyebrows at this, and leant forward in her seat. "One more thing- I will be writing you all once a week: Narcissa, Draco, Andromeda and Dora. I figured Narcissa and Andromeda could pass messages through for Lucius and Ted, and honestly, it's two fewer letters to write every week. I want this family to become a closer unit- we are an old and powerful House, and the closer we are the more influence we can wield. Therefore, we will all be taking a long weekend at the Manor in late August. I think it'll be good for us." She added cheerfully.

As she looked around the room, she giggled inwardly at all the shocked expressions on the faces of her family. The Blacks had not seen this coming at all, and Alexandra relished the fact that she was somewhat unpredictable in this situation.

"A holiday? You want us all to go on holiday together?" asked Andromeda incredulously. She nodded happily.

"As I said- it'll be good for us! That's all for now- I will write you all every Friday, so expect my first letter a week from today." With a second wave of her wand, she opened up the Floo.

The Tonks' were the first to leave, Andromeda made her promise to meet for tea at some point in the week, and she invited them all for dinner in the second week of July.

Draco bade a farewell with a surprisingly optimistic grin, and told her that he was looking forward to the weekend in August. Lucius left with the bare minimum of a farewell, leaving his wife standing next to her in the sitting-room.

"Alexandra, I must ask something of you." Said the witch quietly, and Alexandra raised her eyebrows. The Narcissa who stood before her now was nothing like the cold witch who had greeted her a half hour before. The woman looked timid and uncertain, so she gestured for her to sit, and they both sat down on a couch.

"Of course, Narcissa, whatever I can do for you."

Narcissa tucked a lock of her behind her cheek, and looked at the floor. "I want a divorce from Lucius. I know he had something to do with what happened at Hogwarts this year, and I'm getting a rather unnerving feeling that the Dark Lord isn't quite dead. I want me and Draco out of whatever Lucius has gotten himself into, and you're the only one who can help me."

Alexandra was floored. Divorce was the last thing on her mind when she had agreed to help Narcissa. In all honesty, she was pleased that Narcissa was taking steps to remove herself and Draco from Lucius' grasp, and she was eager to help the older witch.

"Alright. I'll help you get a divorce, but you must take Draco to complete the Heir ritual before then. If you don't, Lucius could make him the Malfoy Heir first, and I will not be able to gain full custody. Go to Gringotts and file for divorce discreetly. If it can't be done without me, send me a message and I'll come. Don't leave the bank until it's final, okay?"

Narcissa nodded, a small tear escaping from her left eye. She turned to Alexandra with a watery grin and embraced her. "Thank you- thank you so much! I'll pack today, and go first thing tomorrow morning!"

Alexandra squeezed her shoulders and pulled back. "You and Draco could live here, if you want. But you'll have to stay with me and Harry for a few days- at least until this place is habitable. Do you think we should keep Kreacher?"

The women both stood up, and meandered over to the fireplace, which was still roaring merrily, waiting for Narcissa. "No- he is devoted to my aunt- he will not accept you as his mistress. I suggest you ask the Potter elves if they know of any others who are unemployed at the moment."

Alexandra smiled. "Thank you Narcissa. I hope all goes well with you and Draco today and tomorrow. Tell me as soon as its final- I'll have the elves prepare rooms for you two when I get home."

With a final embrace from an elated Narcissa, the older witch vanished in a roar of green flames, leaving Alexandra alone. "Kreacher!"

The old elf appeared in front of her, muttering about his old mistress. "Kreacher, the House of Black has no need for you anymore. I hereby release you of service, but you are still bound to keep all secrets of House Black and never to provide anyone with information that could lead to an attack on the House. So I say, so mote it be."

A tendril of emerald light floated from Kreacher's chest into her wand, signifying the end of a contract. The old elf fell to his knees, sobbing, but a moment later the wards threw him out and she was left alone.

The young witch turned on the spot and with a crack, the house was empty again.


	12. The Goblin King

**A/N: I'm not making money from this. This is J.K.'s world, I'm just playing in it.**

Alexandra spent the rest of the day with Harry and Neville in the classroom of the Manor. They had decided to get History of Magic done in one afternoon, so working from various tomes and a copy of the syllabus, she had lectured them about Goblin rebellions, various treaties with magical beings, magical wars in other countries and so forth. She had recommended that they use dictaquills in their History of Magic lessons and use the time to do other work, an idea that Neville and Harry had loved- it meant they wouldn't have to listen to the old ghost drone on and on for an hour.

While she had been meeting with House Black, Harry and Neville had had a grand time working through all the practical work in both first and second years, which had surprised her. Harry was desperate for Neville to catch up, and this motivation had sent them both whizzing through the syllabi.

Neville was perfectly happy with all of the theory, so she promised him tutoring in Potions while Harry worked on Herbology. Both had decided to do Ancient Runes together, and soon the History slot on their timetable would be filled by Runes.

The boys were set an essay on the merits and failings of boomslang skin in Potions, but otherwise were given the weekend off, apart from the two hours they had scheduled on Sunday for etiquette and politics, and Neville had been encouraged to partake in the early morning runs Harry and Alexandra completed.

The next day, after physical training that started at nine and a shower, Harry and Alexandra sat in the kitchen at the wooden table discussing the day between mouthfuls of breakfast. They had decided that in August they would begin learning subjects not offered by Hogwarts- Animagus training, dueling, wards, Occlumency and research into Parselmagic, something that only Harry would be able to achieve.

Alexandra, however had taken to meditating for an hour every night- working on 'seeing' her Animagus form. Once she knew what it was, all she had to do was make a complicated potion and then she would work on transforming one limb at a time until she could make a full transformation. Harry loved the idea of being an Animagus like his father, but she had made him promise not to try until she could do it, so that she could assist him.

"We're meeting Ragnok at eleven, so after breakfast go up and put your Wizengamot robes on. Ragnok is the leader of the Goblin Nation and a King in his own right, so we have to look the part." commented Alexandra as she stabbed a piece of watermelon with her fork. Ragnok had owled her a few days previously after her excursion in Diagon Alley and offered an audience, which she had eagerly accepted. The support of the Goblin Nation would be crucial in the next few years, and Alexandra had been shocked at the offer of a highly coveted meeting with the Goblin King. Not many of the wizarding community had ever seen Ragnok, let alone spoken to him.

"After that, I want to head to Quality Quidditch Supplies- I need a new broom, and we could do with some Quidditch equipment- the set in the gym are at least thirty years old, and aren't quite functioning. Then we can get your third year books, and head back here for some Quidditch."

Harry swallowed, and cast _Tempus_. It was 10:20, so he raised his eyebrows and she nodded so that he could go racing upstairs to get changed. Alexandra had explained to him the situation of Narcissa and Draco, and he had been accepting of their impending arrival. He had told her that he would only attempt to be friends with Draco if he apologised to Harry, Hermione and Neville for his insults over the past two years, but she had assured him that he would.

Narcissa had written her early that morning to say that she and her son had successfully moved out of Malfoy Manor, made Draco the Black Heir and finalised the divorce. Thankfully the marriage contract Narcissa and Lucius' parents had signed had made it clear that multiple children were expected, and so Narcissa had solid grounds for a divorce. Alexandra was very happy to have Lucius out of the family- the less contact she had with a Death Eater, the happier she'd be.

Upstairs, she donned the grey suit she had worn a few days previously, this time pairing it with a white cami and grey heels. _I have to buy some more suits next time I'm in Muggle London- I can't wear these two all the time!_ She donned her House robes ( _again, another set of these!_ ) and quickly brushed her teeth and cast a breath freshening and deodorising charm as she made her way downstairs. Harry was waiting by the entrance to her study, and a _Tempus_ told her it was 10:53.

Harry was dressed in a sharp white shirt and grey dress slacks, complementing her own outfit, and his Wizengamot robes displayed the Potter griffin above his heart and the Black cobra on his right shoulder, to show that he was under her protection. Grasping Harry's shoulder, she turned on the spot, and they landed with a crack at the apparition point. As they began to walk, side by side, Alexandra became aware of the looks they were given.

She and Harry had discussed the previous evening how they would handle the public once they were out and about in Diagon. It had been agreed that as soon as the meeting concluded, the robes would be discarded so as not to attract the attention of the public, but as they walked towards the bank, Alexandra could see many eyes directed at the crests on their robes, so a quick _notice-me-not_ charm allowed them to move unhindered.

Once inside Gringotts, Griphook moved forward to intercept them.

"Lady Potter-Black, Heir Potter. If you would follow me, Ragnok will see you in a few moments." He said, sweeping a shallow bow, which they returned with murmurs of "Master Griphook." The small goblin led the way past the desks in the lobby and down a side corridor. She glanced down at Harry, who was worrying his bottom lip between his teeth as they walked and slung her arm around his shoulders and gave them a comforting squeeze. Before she could say anything, Griphook entered a doorway and the two Potters followed.

Alexandra looked about her in wonder. The room was very large, made completely of beige coloured marble and hints of gold décor completed the room. A large golden throne stood on a raised dais, and she and Harry stood at the bottom of the steps, awaiting the Goblin King.

"Just follow my lead, okay? They're on our side." She whispered out of the side of her mouth, and she saw Harry's mouth quirk up in a small smirk. Before he could reply, a young goblin carrying a magnificent axe and wearing a simple golden circlet entered the room at the top of the dais, making his way towards the throne. Alexandra and Harry knelt on one knee on the floor with their heads bowed, in the traditional royal bow.

"Rise, Lady Potter-Black, Heir Potter." said Ragnok, and he inclined his head when she met his gaze.

"King Ragnok, may the blood of your enemies flow freely and the gold in your vaults never falter." She declared smoothly, bowing her head again.

Ragnok looked impressed at her traditional goblin greeting, but did not reply, instead motioning for her to continue speaking, which threw her off for a moment.

"It was very kind of you to agree to meet myself and my Heir on such short notice- the matter we wish to speak of is urgent and severe. Twelve years ago, Albus Dumbledore abused his power as Chief Warlock and Supreme Mugwump to seal the wills of James and Lily Potter and failed to place Harry with his rightful guardian, Amelia Bones. Instead he was forced to live with his Muggle relatives, who abused him and denied him food for twelve years. On top of this, Dumbledore has been stealing money from Harry's trust vault, which he gained access to after illegally naming himself Harry's magical guardian. On behalf of my cousin and as Head of House Potter, I wish to seek retribution."

As she spoke, Ragnok had remained silent, but leant forward on the throne. "I see. Well, Lady Potter-Black, on behalf of the Goblin Nation I offer my apologies for the theft of such a large sum of money, which I have been informed has been returned. Gringotts has filled Heir Potter's vault to its original value.

"I understand that you will be attending the Wizengamot session in a few days' time. I suggest that you take steps to lessen Dumbledore's influence over the next month until the August session in which Gringotts will provide sufficient evidence as to remove him from the positions of Chief Warlock and Supreme Mugwump. That is our short-term offer. I would also like to offer you a limited alliance with the Goblin Nation, until such time as the Dark Lord has been defeated. Yes, we have heard of the events at the school and the shade of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named who called the basilisk, and we have reason to believe that the Dark Lord invoked very old, very dark magic to preserve his life beyond its natural capacity." stated the goblin king, and Alexandra's jaw dropped.

She knew that it would take time for them to discover a way to defeat Voldemort, and was prepared to wait months, even years to exact her revenge on Dumbledore, but what Ragnok had offered was inconceivable. With the help of the goblins she could research a whole range of ways that Voldemort could bring himself back, and an alliance would further their standing within the Wizengamot. Harry stared in similar shock, mouth open and a light in his eyes that she had never seen before.

Alexandra dropped to one knee, Harry following her lead, and she bowed her head again. "My King, I would be honoured beyond words to welcome the Goblin Nation into the Potter-Black alliance."

Ragnok chuckled, surprising the three other occupants of the room, and Alexandra looked up. "Lady Potter-Black, I would like to express my eagerness in taking down that old goat. We goblins are good at seeing how to get what we want, and my Lady, you and your cousin are the way."

With that, Harry and Alexandra were escorted out of the room and out into the hallway by Griphook, where they were left to collect their thoughts. They stood in silence for a moment before Harry let a little giggle escape, which prompted Alexandra to laugh and soon the two of them were in hysterics, leaning on each other's shoulders with tears slipping out of their eyes.

"Oh, Merlin," wheezed Harry, "this'll be easier than I thought!"

Alexandra grinned, and shed her robe, shrinking it down and motioning for Harry to do the same. The two began walking down the corridor and through the lobby of Gringotts, her arm slung around Harry's shoulders. "It sure did, kiddo. Now, how about we head on over to Quality Quidditch Supplies, eh?"


	13. Firebolts and Old Friends

**A/N: I'm not making money from this. This is J.K.'s world, I'm just playing in it.**

Quality Quidditch Supplies was comfortably crowded, so Alexandra and Harry squeezed their way over to where the broomstick models were displayed: Nimbus 2000, Nimbus 2001, the Thunderbolt and the Firebolt. The latter two were expensive- around one and a half thousand Galleons each, but both Potters knew that they could easily afford it.

"What do you think, Harry? The Thunderbolt or the Firebolt?" she asked, looking down at Harry, who gazed at the models in awe. He glanced up at her.

"Definitely the Firebolt." He stated firmly. "They're similar in price, but the Thunderbolt lacks the precision in turning and acceleration that the Firebolt has."

Alexandra raised her eyebrows. The kid knew his stuff when it came to brooms that much was clear, and she couldn't wait to see him play a game- he wasn't the youngest Seeker in a century for nothing. Turning back, she ran an eye over the broom. It was a beauty- well made, designed for speed: something that would come in handy as a Beater. It was a shame she wouldn't get to play on a team properly anymore, but with a few more players she could easily arrange a few pick-up matches. She nodded decisively. _I'll buy the Firebolt for myself, and when Harry's broom gets tired out or broken, he'll have one too._

She felt a bit guilty having a top of the line broom compared to Harry's Nimbus, but she promised him that he could use hers whenever he wanted. Harry quickly selected a sleek set of Quidditch equipment that included Beaters bats, in a carved oak trunk, and she grabbed a pair of gloves for the two of them- Harry would need them in the winter months.

They paid quickly, Harry wincing at the total sum, but made their way out of the shop unnoticed with a great deal of luck and another light _notice-me-not_ charm. The streets of the Alley were full of witches and wizards out shopping, so it took that pair more than a few minutes to reach Flourish and Blott's. The bookshop was blessedly more peaceful, and Alexandra left Harry to wander through the shelves as she headed straight for the 'writing' section. She quickly found what she was looking for: two thick, leather bound notebooks that she snatched up before heading back to the Potions section.

It had turned out that James Potter, who had grown up at the Manor, had left his journal in the Head library concealed in the master bedroom. The journal documented both the process of becoming an Animagus, which she had been working from, and the charms he had used on the pair of mirrors he and Sirius had shared. Both had been lost in the wreck of Godric's Hollow, but Alexandra was sure that she could modify them so that whatever was written in her book would appear in Harry's, providing them with a secure way to communicate while he was away at Hogwarts.

Armed with the journals and the Potions book that held the recipe for the Animagus potion, she wandered through the shelves looking for her cousin, whom she found in the DADA section, having selected the well-known elements of the third year booklist already.

"Got everything, Harry?" she quipped, looking over his selection, which included _The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 3, Intermediate Transfiguration, The Monster Book of Monsters, Spellman's Syllabary_ and _The Essential Defence Against the Dark Arts._ The set would easily tide them through to September, when Harry would have access to the school library and she could ask the Professors to set him more advanced work if necessary.

"Yeah, I think so." He replied, standing up, and between the two of them they managed to haul the books over to the desk, where they paid and shrunk the books down.

Alexandra apparated herself and Harry back to the Manor, landing in her study. Over the past week she had come to adore her private room. Each wall was covered in bookcases filled with old and new tomes that she had yet to begin reading, and her desk was on the left of the door, with a cushioned red chair standing behind it. Opposite the desk was a large fireplace, with two cosy armchairs framing the fire and her desk had drawers which so far only contained the financial records of Houses Potter and Black for the past ten years, a whiteboard which held their plans and the journal that Dispater had given her.

Speaking of the Celtic god, she hadn't heard from him at all in the past week that she'd been in the Wizarding World, so she supposed that it was a good thing.

They dumped the books on her desk to sort out later and headed up to the family sitting room, where they found Draco and Narcissa sitting awkwardly. The two blondes rose as the Potters came in, and Alexandra beamed at them.

"Narcissa! Thank Merlin it went well- I was so worried that Lucius would find out and stop you!" she exclaimed, walking over to hug her.

"So was I- I didn't think we could get packed up in time to leave first thing!" she replied, stepping back and smoothing down her dress, while Alexandra turned to Draco. The thirteen year old was looking at the floor, and she glanced at his new ring.

"Hello, Heir Black." she said playfully, and he looked up with a small smile. "How are you liking the Manor so far?"

Draco's smile widened, and he looked briefly at Harry before replying. "I really like it, my Lady. Thank you for letting us stay here, and for helping Mother divorce Father."

Alexandra raised an eyebrow. "No need for titles, Draco. You're my Heir now, and we're sort of cousins now, aren't we?"

The boy nodded happily, and she winked at him, before pulling Narcissa over to sit on the sofa and the older witch caught on to what she was doing, and pretended to engage her in conversation, while they both kept one eye on Draco and Harry. The older of the two had approached Harry and stretched out his hand.

"I'd like to apologise for what I've done to you and your friends the past couple of years. I was thinking maybe we could start again?" he said nervously, shifting his weight from side to side. The Draco Harry had told her about was much more confident than this, and she was pleased that Dispater had popped her into the timeline at this point- any longer with Draco being a bully and she might not have been able to save him from what was almost certainly a Death Eater future.

She was pleased to see Harry smile at his new friend, and shake his hand. "I'd like that. Draco."

The blonde's smile widened as he tightened his grip. "Harry."

Alexandra caught Narcissa's eye, and they both dissolved into silent giggles, and tried in vain to compose themselves when the boys looked at them incredulously.

She cleared her throat, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear and grinning at Harry. "Toker!" she called, and the elf appeared.

"Yes, Mistress?"

"Could you have Missy fix us all some lunch, please? I think we'll take it on the balcony, if you don't mind."

"Of course Mistress."

Alexandra twisted in her seat and beamed at the boys. "Anyone up for some flying?"

She mounted the Firebolt in trepidation, she was practically trembling with excitement. _The fastest broom ever made, and I'm sitting on it!_

"Come on, Lex, we're not getting any younger!" yelled Harry, and she stuck her tongue out at him, before summoning her Gryffindor courage, and kicked off the ground.

She shot into the air, the wind whipping her hair around her face, despite it being tied back and she whooped in excitement. Potter Manor whizzed past her as she headed for the Quidditch pitch, covering the ground in seconds, at 150 mph. Shooting past the Quidditch posts, she could hear Harry and Draco behind her, pushing their Nimbus' harder and faster to try to catch to her, so she pulled the broom up and looped over them, and then brought her body closer to the wood to push it faster, lapping the boys easily.

Out of the corner of her eye she could see Narcissa sitting elegantly on the balcony, watching her family fly. Over lunch, the Slytherin had explained her dislike of heights, although she admitted to being a great fan of Quidditch and very excited for the World Cup Finals which would be held in Britain next summer.

Pulling up again, Alexandra climbed higher and higher above her home, pushing through the clouds until she caught sight of the blue and amber haze of the wards that she knew extended a couple of kilometres above the ground, to protect from airborne attacks. Pulling the Firebolt to a comfortable hover, she gazed at the sight before her. The afternoon sun was bright and lit the clouds around her, turning them a brilliant white.

 _Merlin, how did I get so lucky? I've got Harry, a wonderful home, the Blacks, Augusta and Neville…finally things are looking up! And they told me I'd never walk again… I don't even miss the Muggles, not even my family- they don't feel like mine anymore. Plus, all I can remember is what it was like to live without magic, and how to fit in with Muggles and work Muggle appliances, but I think that was something to do with Dispater. Handy things to remember, I guess, but oh… I love my Potter life so much more…_

With that last thought running out of her mind, she leaned forward again and pushed the Firebolt into a steep dive, heading straight for the ground. The wind was whistling in her ears, eyes streaming and hair flying about her face but Alexandra had never felt more alive.

They were congregated on the balcony once more: Alexandra at her desk and the ex-Malfoys teaching Harry to play Gobstones, a rather messy wizarding game. Every now and again, one of them would start laughing and she'd look over to see one of them covered in a foul-smelling liquid. Meanwhile at her desk, she was left staring at a blank piece of parchment. She had already written to Andromeda about politics lessons for Neville, Harry and now Draco, and had sent the letter off with Sirius, who was more than pleased to run an errand.

All she had left to do was write to Charlie and Sienna, asking them to meet her at the Three Broomsticks at two the next day. Alexandra was dreading the meeting, but she knew that it was inevitable and also one of the only dates that she knew Charlie would be in the country.

The three had decided on mandatory regular Floo calls and letter writing, so over the two years that Alexandra had travelled with Sebastien she had kept in contact with both of her childhood best friends, who were working with dragons in Romania and studying to become a Healer. The part she was worried about, however, was revealing to them that she was such a prominent member of society and that she had been lying to them on some level for nine years.

In the end, she just scribbled out a quick note which read:

 _Dear Charlie/Sienna,_

 _Seeing as we're all in the same country for once, how about we meet at the Three Broomsticks at two tomorrow? I have something pretty big to tell you, and I'm sure there'll be a lot to talk about._

 _I can't wait to see you!_

 _Love, Alexandra._

Hedwig graciously agreed to take the notes and soon she was winging her way towards the Burrow and Sienna's flat in London.

Alexandra sighed, leaning back on her chair and watching Narcissa, Draco and Harry with a fond smile, chuckling as Narcissa was hit with a burst of green goo. Harry looked up and caught her eye and her smile widened. It was worth it if it was for him.


	14. A Bell and A Weasley

**A/N: I'm not making money from this. This is J.K's world, I'm just playing in it.**

The next morning Alexandra lay in bed with her eyes firmly shut, ignoring the morning sun that was trying so hard to wake her up. Again.

After physical with Harry, she had dragged herself upstairs and collapsed on her bed, utterly wasted. After the boys had gone to bed, she and Narcissa had cracked open a bottle of wine and stayed up until the wee hours giggling and sharing secrets from their Hogwarts experiences. Alexandra had to admit, she was impressed by Narcissa.

The cold and icy front she put up when in company had come crashing down within moments of meeting her. The two had gotten along famously, and she had passed out on the sofa with her head on Narcissa's stomach. Honestly, she was the older sister the Potter had never had, and once again she was infinitely grateful for her new life.

Sunday, she had decided, was her favourite day. As much as she loved spending time with Harry, teaching material she had learned seven years ago was boring and not at all mentally stimulating, so with Andromeda coming for lessons at eleven and no meetings until two, she had decided to draw herself a bath. If she could get out of bed.

Hours later, she emerged from the rapidly cooling water, wrapping a fluffy towel around her and heading through her room to her walk in closet. After a short deliberation, she pulled out a white lace dress with triangle cutouts at the waist, and chose a pair of nude wedge heels and a golden necklace to accessorise.

For the first time since she had been 'reborn' as a witch, she sat down at her vanity and opened her drawer. The Muggle sales assistant she had worked with to buy clothes had discovered that she had no makeup, and practically dragged her over to the makeup counters and handed her over to a makeup artist, Sally. The artist had then spent two hours matching her skin tone to various foundations and powders, and selling her eye products and shades of lipstick. Her inner 'girl' had then come out and she had thoroughly enjoyed talking to Sally and discovering tips and tricks of the trade.

This time, she just ran the mascara wand over her eyelashes and applied a slick of lipstick that only enhanced their natural colour. A spritz of perfume later and she was heading out of her room and fixing her wand to the holster she had strapped to her arm, and disillusioning it. Sometimes being a witch was annoying, if only because she never had a good place to carry her wand.

Downstairs, she checked the time on the clock she had asked Jigs to purchase, and requested a light Caesar salad from Missy. The three boys were engaged in hushed conversation, heads bent over something Draco was holding, and the two Black sisters were talking about a Yule Ball that used to be held at Malfoy Manor every year. Alexandra dropped into a chair opposite Narcissa and poured herself a glass of water.

"It's a shame we can't do that anymore, it was always such fun to organise an event like that." said Narcissa wistfully, and Andromeda chuckled at her sister.

"Honestly, Cissy, could you be any more obvious?"

She raised an eyebrow and put down her glass after taking a sip. "Narcissa, would you _please_ consider organising the Yule Ball Harry and I would like to hold?" Alexandra asked dryly, and both she and Andromeda giggled at Narcissa's look of glee.

"Really? A Yule Ball? Here or at Black Manor? How many people? What colour scheme? A string quartet or an orchestra?" Narcissa was firing on all cylinders, partly playing up to the joke but in part completely serious. She knew from experience that these things could take a long time to organise, but with the right amount of name-dropping it could be pulled together in two months.

"Woah, Cissy, calm down. It's barely July, the ball will be in December!"

The boys had been watching the youngest Black with some trepidation, and took the break in conversation to other things than balls and Christmas- namely Quidditch and houses.

Missy popped in with her salad a few moments later as well as burgers for the boys and grilled chicken for Narcissa and Andromeda, who had taken to chiming into the boys' conversation with the occasional "Slytherin rules, face it." Alexandra meanwhile ate her salad in silence, more than content to watch her new family. It was good to see Harry's face brighten and hear him laugh, a huge smile on his face that never faltered and warmed her heart.

Lunch was a friendly affair, and Andromeda excused herself and Draco, Harry and Neville to head back to the classroom for the continuation of their lesson. Harry had told her that they had been learning the proper way to address members of Ancient and Most Noble Houses- for example, a Head could address all members in any House by their first name, save the Heirs. They were addressed as 'Heir so-and-so' the first time in a conversation, and then first names. The Heir had the same privilege over all who were younger than them, otherwise it was 'Lord', 'Lady', 'Madame', 'Mr.' and 'Miss'. Also, Harry would address Draco as 'Heir Black' for the first time in a conversation, and then 'Draco' every time after.

Alexandra retired to her study to begin the work on the journals she had bought for herself and Harry. She set about working with the runework of the _Gemini_ spell and lost herself in modifications for close to an hour before the grandfather clock outside in the hall (again, installed by Jigs) chimed for two o'clock.

"Merlin's beard! I'm late!" she hissed furiously, springing to her feet and hastily waved her wand over the desk, watching as her books put themselves away and the journals return themselves to her drawer. She tapped the edge of the desk with the wand, re-setting the wards she had immediately placed around it on her first day. She smirked, as she turned to snatch up a handful of Floo powder. Every day she could feel her power growing- she had known that she would be quite powerful thanks to the fact that she had completed a Curse Breaker Mastery in only two years, something quite unheard of- but, the rate at which she was moving sometimes shocked her. Nonverbal magic came as easily to her as swinging a Beater's bat, and she was excited to try wandless magic once her core had stopped expanding.

Shaking herself out of her thoughts, she cast a quick _Incendio_ at the fireplace and tossed the powder in. "The Three Broomsticks!" she called, stepping into the green flames, and tucking her elbows in as she was moved up into Scotland in the matter of about 10 seconds.

Alexandra emerged from the Floo coughing and dusting off her dress, while she looked around for her two best friends, whom she found laughing at her in a corner booth. A wide grin broke out on her face as she hurried towards them. _Merlin, it's been much too long!_

Sienna was the first to stand and greet her friend, and her green eyes shone in exactly the same way Alexandra remembered from their Hogwarts days- every time they pulled a prank successfully, when they found the entrance to the kitchens, that day when she and Alexandra beat Charlie to every question in COMC, much to the redhead's annoyance.

Alexandra launched herself into Sienna's arms, and the two swayed on the spot as Sienna began talking a mind a minute, as usual, and she grinned at Charlie over her shoulder, who rolled his eyes playfully and reached out to grasp her hand. He, however, had changed, become more muscular and there were more burn scars on his exposed arms than she remembered there being, but his roguish grin was the same, and no sooner than she was released by Sienna than Charlie had scooped her up in one smooth move, his large hands easily grabbing her waits and spinning her around in true Charlie fashion.

"Char! Put me down this instant!" she scolded playfully, and he pouted before setting her down on the floor again.

"I've missed you two too much! We're never going that long without seeing each other again, understood!" declared Sienna, grabbing their wrists and sliding the trio into the booth.

"Agreed." Replied the other two, and Alexandra settled back into her seat.

"Alright, Alex, what's this 'big news' you wanted to talk about?" asked Charlie, crossing his tanned arms over his wrists, while Sienna motioned to Madam Rosmerta for three butterbeers. The eldest Bell, however, had keen eyes and had spotted the rings on Alexandra's fingers before Charlie had even finished speaking. Her face paled and she sat forward, leaning her elbow on the table and supporting her chin with her hand.

"Merlin's beard. Alex, do you want to tell us why you're wearing the Head rings of Potter and Black?" she shrieked, and Charlie shot onto his feet in an instant, his height at an even six foot giving him a menacing appearance.

"Yeah, Alex. Something you're not telling us?" he asked, his voice dangerously serious and Alexandra gulped, looking between the faces of two angry friends. Panicking, she covered her eyes with her hands and sighed. _Okay, if I say it quickly and I don't look, maybe they won't be angry?_

"My name's not Henderson, its Potter. My parents moved us to France as soon as we found out about James and Lily's murders. They were well aware that there would be Voldemort sympathisers, and our last name alone was enough to get us killed. However, they had no idea that Sirius and Remus, James' best friends, had also died, and we assumed Harry was with them. They died of their wounds after they were injured trying to prevent a kidnapping in Paris, so I lived with my mother's family. I came to Hogwarts under Henderson, my aunt put a glamour on my eyes so that I wouldn't be recognised, and now I have to take up the Potter title. I should have had it when I left Hogwarts, but I left almost immediately with Sebastien, and I guess the owls never caught up with us. Then it turns out that Sirius didn't want to pass the Headship of Black to anyone in his own family, because they were either too Dark or disinherited. He wanted to give it to Harry, but the pressure would be too much, so I guess he figured that a different Potter, who he actually knew, would still be a better option than his messed up family."

When she finally finished speaking, she peeked out of her hands and hid a smile. Both Sienna and Charlie looked completely blown away, and the shock had drained all the anger right out of them.

"So…what I'm hearing from all this is…you're a Lady?" said Charlie, his blue eyes focused on the wall behind her.

"Yep! Lady Potter-Black, actually," she grinned, winking at him good-naturedly.

And with that single wink, the balance between them was restored and Sienna jumped back into the conversation, asking about the week she'd been back in Britain, and in turn they each gave a brief overview of their lives since Hogwarts, despite the fact that the other two knew everything already.

"There's something I've been wanting to tell you two as well, but it can't be said here. Fancy a trip back to the Manor?" asked Alexandra, standing up for the first time in three hours and stretching. Sienna jumped up eagerly and then winced at the slight ache in her muscles.

"Sure! Potter Manor is gorgeous, or so I've heard," she commented, linking arms with her long-time friend, and the two girls looked at Charlie in a well-rehearsed move, and the redhead groaned and stood, joining the chain somewhat reluctantly and looping arms with Alexandra.

"Why not? I can never say no to you two anyway…" he cursed under his breath, and the trio Flood to the Manor in a matter of minutes.

Alexandra landed first in the study, followed closely by Charlie and Sienna, and they followed her silently through the halls and up to the family sitting room, which was thankfully empty. She had grown used to the Manor very quickly, and knew the building like the back of her own hand. Harry and herself fit into the Manor well, and while she was happy having people to come and visit/stay with them, she knew it was important for her to have some quality time with her cousin, so she had decided to make it a point to read together for half an hour on her bed before they went to sleep- sometimes they would lay in comfortable silence or talk about everything and anything, but she didn't care so long as he was happy and safe.

She took a seat on the red armchair that was coming to be marked as hers, and Sienna and Charlie fell onto the sofa next to each other.

"Okay- can we do this like before? No interruptions or questions until I'm finished, and Charlie, I'm so sorry."

Ignoring his confused look, she went on to explain how Dumbledore had been stealing from Harry, put him with the Dursleys, and she was sure that they were abusive. She could count more ribs on Harry than she liked, and sometimes when she raised her arm to wrap around him or demonstrate a point, he would flinch discreetly, in a way that made her feel sick to her stomach. How Dumbledore paid Ron, Ginny and Molly to manipulate Harry, how Molly would be brewing loyalty potions for him, keyed to Dumbledore and Ron this very summer. How she, Alexandra would be opening up a third side to their war- one to defeat both Voldemort and Dumbledore. How already, she was beginning an alliance, training the Boy-Who-Lived and two of his friends.

When she finished, she looked up from her feet and she felt another piece of her heart break for her best friend. She could see that Charlie was absolutely devastated at the news, hell, his eyes were even watering up, and she stood from her seat. Sienna's face betrayed her emotions- she was furious and at the same time full of sorrow for her friend. The brunette opened her mouth to speak but Charlie shook his head and opened his arms, and she curled up on the sofa next to him, fitting her shoulder in his armpit, while Alexandra sat in his lap and pressed a kiss to his cheek, letting him rest his forehead in the junction between her neck and shoulder.

This was the thing she loved about Charlie the most, mused Alexandra as the trio sat and took comfort from one another. He was open with his emotions, at least to them, and wasn't afraid to ask for physical comfort when he needed it.

It was a while before any of them spoke, but it was Charlie who broke the silence. "Where do I sign up for this alliance of yours?"


	15. St Mungo's

**A/N: I'm not making any money from this. This is J.K.'s world, I'm just playing in it.**

Now that Charlie and Sienna were fully on board with the Potter-Black Alliance and had even sworn their loyalty, Alexandra pulled a few strings to get Harry a last minute appointment at St Mungo's for a check-up for the next morning. He had been reluctant to go, but after learning that it was a quick appointment and would take no longer than 30 minutes, he was more than happy to get it over with, and they made it to the hospital with no fuss.

"Good morning, I'm here for a full check-up for Harry Potter?" she asked as they stood at the front desk, smiling at the wizard behind it, who wore a perfect poker face and spoke only in a monotone. She and Harry had dressed rather low-key today- him in his usual black jeans and a shirt and her in a loose red romper and sandals.

"Okay. If you would both present your wands, I can confirm your magical signature. Then you will need to sign these statements and you may see Healer Morgan on the sixth floor."

After filing the necessary paperwork, she and Harry made their way up to the ward and Alexandra reached out her hand when she saw Healer Morgan, identifiable by her name tag. She was an older woman in her late forties with blonde hair and laughter lines, and she noticed Harry brightening when confronted with a friendly looking Healer.

"Good morning, Healer Morgan. This is Harry, my cousin. Pleasure to meet you." She stated, and the two witches shook hands firmly, before the Healer turned to Harry.

"Mr Potter. An honour." She said, winking at Harry and making him blush a little bit as he returned the handshake. The trio began walking down the corridor, passing a few closed doors before Healer Morgan opened one with a tap of her wand and gestured for them to go in.

Inside was a tall bed not dissimilar to the ones used in Muggle hospitals, a blue chair for Alexandra and a desk and chair that displayed files and notes of various patients- all of which she could tell were locked with complex confidentiality charms.

"Now, Harry, if you would take a seat on the bed, we can begin the check-up. I'm just going to cast a few diagnostic charms and then we can really get started!" she explained cheerily, drawing her wand and holding it a few inches from his skin, and she then proceeded to run the wand along his body, muttering under her breath as she did so. The tip of her wand glowed Alexandra could see a quill writing information on a piece of blank parchment on the desk and she gave Harry's hand a comforting squeeze.

Looking back up, she tensed when she saw Morgan frown as she read over the notes on the parchment, and she sat up straighter.

"Could I have a quick word with you outside, my Lady?"

Alexandra's eyes widened but she managed to hold onto her pureblood poker face with no small amount of will power. "Of course. We'll just be a moment, Harry." She said, looking at the younger boy. His skin was paler and he looked at her with such fear in his eyes that she was compelled to cross the room and embrace him.

"Whatever it is, we'll be fine. I'm not leaving you, so you have nothing to worry about. I'll be right back, I promise." she muttered into his hair, carding the black locks through her fingers absentmindedly. It was a testament to how frightened the boy was that he only tightened his grip around her waist and nodded emphatically into her stomach. Pulling back slightly, she kissed his forehead before following Healer Morgan out of the room and into the thankfully deserted ward.

"My Lady, I will get straight to the point. Diagnostics have revealed that Harry's growth has been stunted by physical abuse during childhood. Some of his bones were broken and have not set properly- these will need re-growing. Also, the detector sensed a strong magical suppressor on his core- one of up to 50%. If I release the suppressor, he will need a few days to recover from it magic-free, and while it will not be painful, I suggest as little movement as possible."

Alexandra did not hear the second part of what the Healer said. Her vision had begun turning red the second the word 'abuse' had been spoken, and she could feel her magic filling her up, fuelled by her rage. As her magic began to bubble beneath the surface, objects began to move and vibrate- windows, doors, plants- nothing remained unmoving, save the building itself.

She shut her eyes and tried to take deep breaths, dropping her wand and counting to ten again and again and again until she felt calm enough to speak without screaming. A few tears had slipped past her tightly shut eyelids as she worked, and, opening her eyes again she quickly wiped all evidence of them away.

"I'm sorry about that. Would you give me a moment with Harry, and then we can talk about the lock on his magic?" she said, clenching her fists and resisting the urge to blow something up. _I swear, if Dumbledore ever goes near my Harry again, I'll rip him apart with my bare hands._

Healer Morgan nodded and Alexandra re-entered the room, to find Harry on the bed with his head in his hands. Approaching cautiously, she slid onto the edge of the bed and reached out a hand to hold his.

"Harry?"

He made no answer, but she could see the way his shoulders moved as he sobbed, and she moved to gather him up in her arms, and surprisingly he didn't tense when she did.

"Kiddo, I know what happened to you, I'm so sorry, you're never going back there and I'll never let anyone hurt you again, I'm so sorry darling." She whispered, leaning her forehead against the back of his head and allowing a few tears to escape in the privacy of the room.

He slid an arm around her waist and tucked his face into her neck, avoiding her gaze still, but she only tightened her arms and waited. They sat together in silence- holding and being held- for some time before Harry began talking.

"I-I only found out what my name was when I went to school. I thought it was Freak. That's what they called me. They made me do manual work when I could walk- gardening, cleaning- I was allowed to cook when I was six. If I did something wrong, or said something to them, Vernon would…h-he would beat me." Harry sniffed. "That's w-what I deserve. I'm a f-freak, I killed m-my parents, it was my f-fault, I shouldn't l-live with y-you or have nice things. I d-deserve to be b-beaten."

Alexandra's heart broke the longer he talked, and she pulled back, taking his face in her hands gently. His eyes were puffy and bloodshot from crying, his cheeks stained with his tears and she smiled softly.

"Harry, you are not a freak. You are anything but that. You are strong, brave, kind, clever, loving, and generous and I couldn't ask for a more perfect cousin. You deserve to live with me because I am your family and I love you and you deserve everything that I could give to you and more. Voldemort killed your parents, kiddo, not you. They loved you so much, you know. I met you when you were a baby- briefly- we were hiding out in France and we could only visit because of the protection on the house. But I've never seen anyone look at their child with such love, Harry. They died because they wanted you to live, and they wanted to give you a better world to live in. You're worth dying for Harry- I know I'd do exactly the same thing they did, and we've only known each other a week! That's the kind of person you are, and I don't want you to change a thing about you."

When she finished speaking, they were both crying, and Harry pulled her into another hug and smiled at her. "I love you too, Lexa."

Alexandra grinned brightly and kissed his forehead gently, before retrieving her wand and conjuring a wet cloth out of thin air. "What say we clean up a bit and get Healer Morgan back in here to fix you up?"

Quickly wiping away the tears, she passed the cloth to Harry who did the same while she opened the door and poked her head out. Morgan was waiting outside the door with a smile, and Alexandra opened the door further to allow the Healer in.

"So, Harry, Lady Potter-Black, I will be prescribing nutrient potions to boost your growth to what it should be and some Skele-Grow to take whenever you want, but you can only drink it while you're here so we can monitor the growth." she said with a stern voice, passing Alexandra the necessary potion. "The nutrient potion is to be taken with every meal, before you eat."

"Also, there is a magical suppressor on your core which has been placed by one Albus Dumbledore- it has his magical signature on it- and has blocked half of your power. We can remove it, but you will be on bed rest for three days, and you will not be able to use magic. After that, you will need some training to control your new power, but you will adapt quickly."

Harry's eyes narrowed and he turned to Alexandra. "What do you think, could we remove it now?"

She hummed in approval as she thought over their schedule for the next few days. "Sure- we can cancel lessons until you're better- I can set a project for Neville and Draco can finish his summer work. I'll ask Augusta to bring Neville over to keep you company and you can call the house elves to bring you books and things. I'll try to pop on whenever I can, but I have to go to Hogwarts today and I should hopefully be seeing the Grangers tomorrow, to see if Hermione can join us in training. Is that alright Healer Morgan?"

The blonde witch nodded, and moved towards the bed. "Harry, the removal will knock you out for around 24 hours, during which I will administer the Skele-Grow so you won't feel the regrowth, if that's okay with you?"

Harry nodded and stretched out an arm for Alexandra, who wrapped him in another hug. "I'll see you tomorrow kiddo, okay? Love you."

"Love you too, Lexa. See you on the flip side." Harry winked playfully and she marvelled at his ability to put their earlier conversation to one side and be cheerful. _This kid is quite something._ Healer Morgan raised her wand and began murmuring in Latin as Harry's chest began to glow. A deep blue sphere rose from his chest and as the Healer continued the spell, it cracked open: the blue exploding and allowing the golden core to expand to twice its original size. Harry fell back onto the bed, asleep and the core sank back into his chest.

Alexandra stepped forward and removed his shoes and transfigured his clothes to pyjamas. Morgan clutched a vial of the foul potion and poured it into his mouth, massaging his throat so that he would swallow and left the room with a nod to Alexandra.

She smiled as she looked on the sleeping boy, and kissed his forehead lovingly before leaving the room. In the hallway she drew her wand and began setting up a ward that would alert her if someone entered the room, and would tell her who it was.

After the ward was secure, she cast a quick Patronus and her familiar peregrine falcon appeared before her. "Augusta, I'm at Mungo's with Harry, they've had to remove a magical suppressor on his core, so he's unconscious until tomorrow, and I'll be at Hogwarts if you need me. Lessons with me are cancelled until Harry's recovered. "

The falcon shrieked and disappeared, so she made her way down to the lobby where there was a concealed apparition point near the front desk. It was time to deal with Albus Dumbledore.

 **A/N: If you're confused about Sirius and Remus or Alexandra's past read Chapter 1 again, I've updated it so it makes more sense, and also the previous chapter explains more about Alexandra. Thanks for reading.**


	16. Confrontations at Hogwarts

**A/N: I'm not making any money from this. This is J.K.'s world, I'm just playing in it.**

With a crack, she landed outside the gates of Hogwarts and smiled up at the castle. She had loved every minute she had spent there, it really was a home away from home. She could see Professor Flitwick approaching the gate and she waved excitedly at him. Charms had been one of her favourite subjects and she and the little teacher had had many discussions about the mechanics of Charms and how they could be modified, so she was eager to see him again.

"My, my, Alexandra, look at you!" squeaked Flitwick as he opened the gate with a flick of his wand. "A Lady of Houses Potter and Black and a Master Curse Breaker! Something tells me we need to have a catch-up one of these days, my dear! It's been far too long!"

Alexandra giggled and bent to hug her old professor. "I agree, Professor, we must meet again when Harry's back at school and I am not so busy!"

They began the walk up to the school at an ambling pace, looking out at the magnificent stone castle and the Black Lake beyond. "Albus is expecting you my dear and myself and Minerva will meet you in her office, I trust you remember where that is?" teased Flitwick as they walked into the Entrance Hall and stopped.

"Of course I do, Merlin knows Charlie, Sienna and I spent enough time in there!" she laughed, and bid her professor goodbye as they each went their own way. Walking through the corridors of her school was like entering a memory- she could almost see her younger self talking to her friends in different places: the broom cupboard she had locked Sienna and her crush into, the hallway that she often took as a shortcut to the pitch, the Library where she had spent most of her fifth and seventh years locked away in- it all seemed so long ago.

Soon she arrived at the golden griffin that protected the Headmaster's office and her mood turned sour as she remembered her first meeting at Gringotts and the Healer's report from this morning. Gripping her wand, she transfigured her romper into a knee length black dress and applied a slick of red lipstick. The look she was going for was cold and detached and she narrowed her gaze at the griffin.

"The Lady Potter-Black, here to speak with the Headmaster." she announced, standing tall and lifting her chin. The griffin bowed and turned to let her pass and as she ascended the staircase she fingered her Black ring, hoping to gain inspiration from her Dark family and in response she felt the ring emit a small amount of cold energy that forced her back to be perfectly upright and lifted her chin. _Merlin, I'm loving this family magic, it's like it's almost sentient!_

Alexandra knocked on the oak door once before entering and her vision turned red as the door swung shut behind her. Albus Dumbledore looked up from behind his desk and smiled at her. "Alexandra, my dear, welcome back. Please take a seat."

She swallowed back a rude response and instead nodded graciously, gliding forward to sit opposite the old goat. "Headmaster Dumbledore. It is good to be back."

"Sherbet lemon?" he asked, offering her the bowl and she quickly denied. _I wouldn't be surprised if they were laced with something_.

"Now, my dear, what is it you wanted to see me about?" he asked, settling into his chair and folding his hands in his lap. The benevolent way in which he smiled at her made her skin crawl but with another pulse from the Black ring she arched an eyebrow.

"As I said in my letter, Professor, I wish to discuss the security of the school. It has been brought to my attention of the events that took place both this year and last, and I am concerned for my cousin's safety as he was directly involved in both series of incidents. I wish to see the plans you have no doubt made to increase the school's security." she stated imperiously, staring at Dumbledore with an unyielding gaze. The old man had a good poker face and the only thing that betrayed his shock was a slight widening of his eyes before his face became blank once more.

"Well, you see, Alexandra, myself and the professors feel that there is no need for any more security to be added- the wards of Hogwarts are ancient and powerful and cannot be broken."

Alexandra stared in shock. _I can't believe him. No more security? He has got to be kidding me!_

"No need, Professor? Then please explain to me how exactly a teacher here was possessed by Voldemort himself and then you allowed the blundering fool the world knows as Gilderoy Lockhart to go after a basilisk? I do not believe that you didn't know what Slytherin's monster was- there is only one creature powerful enough to petrify a ghost after all. And also, Headmaster, I would ask you to explain how three _first-years_ were able to get past traps that were supposed to keep out Voldemort."

The Headmaster grew paler and paler as she spoke, her voice growing until she spat out the name of the Dark Lord at the end of her inquisition. His eyes narrowed and she felt his mind reach out to touch hers, and with a burst of anger she slammed up the walls around her mind with power she did not know she had.

"Headmaster, I would appreciate it if you would _stay the hell away from my mind_. Using Legilimency on an unconsenting individual is a crime that will put you in Azkaban, and as an attack on a Lady of _two_ Ancient and Noble Houses, I can bring down the full power of the Wizengamot upon you." she warned and smirked as he grew purple with rage.

"Listen here, _my Lady_ , I do not appreciate you coming into my office and telling me how to run my school and threatening me!" he thundered, and glared at her furiously. This was a side to the old man she had never seen and part of her was frightened. He was a powerful wizard and his rage was something to be avoided, but she knew that her family magic was old and strong and would protect her if she called it. _Actually that's quite a good idea. Should make him put a sock in him for a while, at least._

 _"Familia magicae praesidio."_ replied Alexandra and smirked at the old man as the Potter griffin appeared on her left and the Black cobra on her right.

"I apologise for the threat, Headmaster, but you should count yourself lucky that I didn't invoke the family magic to judge you, only protect me."

"You have no grounds on which to do so!" he cried, and she laughed coldly at him.

"Headmaster, I tire of this game. I want to talk about Harry's security while at school. I request that Hogwarts pay the goblins to set up better protection around the school during the summer- I am a Master Curse Breaker and I would be more than happy to assist with the procedure. Nothing is more important to me than the safety and happiness of my cousin." she explained, with a raised eyebrow.

Dumbledore went to stand, but with a hiss from the cobra he sank back into his seat with a sigh. "Very well. I will consult the goblins, although I must ask how you knew of the events of the past two years at the school."

Alexandra smiled innocently and stood. "I am in regular contact with my cousin, of course. He is a member of my House, is he not?"

With that, she stood and headed for the door, the griffin and cobra following, but she paused by the door to look back at the old man. He glared at her and she resisted the temptation to stick her tongue out at him, and opted for a nod instead. "Good day, Headmaster." she said, and with that she left the room, closing the door behind her and dismissing the family magic after thanking them.

She skipped down to the corridor and nodded to the griffin and began walking towards McGonagall's office. Alexandra changed her clothes back as she went and thought over her meeting with Dumbledore. _That went well- I got what I wanted, I reminded him I was powerful, the family totems scared him and he still doesn't know that Harry's living at the Manor. Now all I have to do is convince McGonagall and Flitwick about what the old goat has done to Harry._

Shaking herself out of her thoughts, she found herself at the bottom of the Defence against the Dark Arts Tower, where McGonagall's office was and she quickly reached out to knock.

"Come in." called McGonagall and Alexandra grinned at the sound of her old teacher and pushed open the door. McGonagall and Flitwick were sitting in armchairs around a small coffee table laden with tea and biscuits and a third chair sat empty for her.

McGonagall got up when she entered and smiled brightly at the younger woman. "Alexandra it's so good to see you!" she cried, wrapping her in a tight hug.

"It's great to see you, Professor, you're looking very well! How are you?" replied Alexandra, releasing her teacher and they both moved to sit down on their respective seats, while Flitwick poured her a cup of tea, which she gladly accepted.

"Call me Minerva, my dear- you're graduated now and you're Head of two Houses! I'm very well, thank you- it's been a busy two years but enjoyable. Now you wanted to talk about Harry, is that right?" said the older witch, casting an appraising eye over the other woman.

"Yes, I did- I was wondering if you both could fill me in on how he's doing in school?" she asked, taking a sip of the tea and frowned when the two Professors exchanged a look. "What is it?"

Minerva made no reply apart from raising her wand and erecting silencing and privacy wards around the three of them, and Alexandra quickly drew her own wand to add to them, leaning forward in her seat. Could it be that the two of them were suspicious of Dumbledore as well?

"Well, Alexandra," began Flitwick, "we don't trust Albus very much. He seems to be fixated on something, but we can't figure out what and it's not healthy. He doesn't really care about the students anymore, and we're worried that he's well…he's using Harry."

Alexandra grinned, much to their surprise, and set down her teacup. "Wonderful. I don't trust that old goat as far as I can throw him, and it's worse than you think."

Once more she told her tale of her Gringotts meetings and learning of Dumbledore's illegal embezzlement and offences against Harry and the House of Potter: sealing James and Lily's wills and putting Harry with the Dursleys; not to mention using Ron, Ginny and Molly to weaken Harry and manipulate him. She had come up with a reasonable excuse as to how she knew that Molly was brewing loyalty and compulsion potions for Harry- that Ragnok had placed the Weasleys under mild surveillance and discovered her intent. She would write to the goblin King soon and ask him to do this in order to double check Dispater's information and to keep an eye on the scheming three.

When she was finished, both teachers wore identical expressions of horror and fury, and Alexandra sighed.

"The worst part is… Harry was abused at the Dursleys. He is malnourished, scarred, his growth is stunted and Dumbledore placed a magical suppressor on him. Harry thinks that he is a freak, although I'm sure that being at Hogwarts has helped him to move past that because he has only showed that sort of attitude once in my presence."

Minerva swore violently and Flitwick turned purple as she spoke and the Transfiguration professor turned to her with fury in her eyes. "What do you need from us? Name anything."

Alexandra smiled and reached out for her hand and grasped it tightly. "Firstly, I am forming an alliance that will stand against Voldemort and Dumbledore. I believe that we have not seen the last of the Dark Lord and I intend to be ready when he comes. I would ask you to join us. I am training Harry, Neville and Draco this summer, and I intend for Hermione to join us before long.

"Augusta Longbottom- my first ally- is helping me to spread the alliance to other Houses in the Wizengamot and I will begin work within the Ministry shortly. I need Harry to be protected at Hogwarts; this will be easier when more Houses join us and I can ask the Heirs to look out for him, but I would ask you to keep an eye on him."

Minerva and Filius nodded and reached out their left hands to her. "Swear us in, Alexandra."

Once they were formally added to the alliance, they sat down and began to discuss Harry.

"Harry is bright and hard-working and maintains average grades in everything but Defence. However if he has a magical suppressor I expect that he will soon accomplish anything we ask of him in third year." explained Filius, and Minerva nodded in agreement.

"Yes, in the House he has proven himself a natural leader and a kind person- the younger years like him and trust him despite the Heir of Slytherin debacle and I believe that in a few years' time he will be a strong contender to be Prefect."

Alexandra beamed at the two Professors. "That's great! I've been going through first and second year work with him and Neville and they're both doing very well- Harry's a natural at practical work and Potions without Snape around and Neville's got a good head for theory and I think that he could be quite good at Arithmancy if he tried."

Minerva asked about Harry's training and she explained all her plans to them, and the two Professors added input whenever they could. Minerva offered to tutor their Animagus training and Filius offered his expertise on charming the journals. Needless to say, Alexandra apparated out of Hogsmeade with a smile on her face and a bright hope for the future.


	17. The Dursleys and New House Elves

**A/N: I'm not making any money from this. This is J.K's world, I'm just playing in it.**

Alexandra decided to go back to Mungo's to sit with Harry while she wrote to his friend's parents and she made herself comfortable at the desk in his room to think. She wanted to form a group of sorts for Harry that would include Draco, Neville, Hermione and anyone else she thought could be trusted. The sooner Dumbledore was out of the school the better, but she would leave him there for a couple of months while she set up the alliance and arranged a formal case against him. It would be brought before the Wizengamot in October.

"Jigs!" she called and transfigured a leaf from a plant on the windowsill into a cushion to support her back. The house elf arrived and smiled.

"Mistress called?" he asked and she nodded.

"Yes, could you bring me the House Seals from my study as well as a piece of parchment, an envelope, a quill and ink please? I will also require _Ancient and Noble Houses: the Basics_ from the library and Sirius, please."

"Of course, Mistress." The little elf popped away and returned with what she asked for, including Sirius who hooted and landed on her shoulder, pecking her ear. He wasn't a fan of magical transportation, and elf apparition was no exception.

"Also, Jigs- Harry is unconscious at the moment, but when he wakes up, could you bring him anything he asks for- books or newspapers, whatever he likes- and if he doesn't ask for anything could you just take a couple of books from the library for him?"

Jigs nodded, and with a worried glance at Harry, he popped away, and Alexandra settled herself back into the seat, picking up the quill and dipping it in ink. Chewing on the end thoughtfully, she thought about what she would write and then put quill to parchment.

 _Dear Mr and Mrs Granger,_

 _My name is Alexandra Potter-Black, and I am Harry's cousin. I'm sure that Hermione will have mentioned him once or twice. I would like to invite your daughter to attend training at our manor for the rest of the summer- I intend to teach both her and Harry, plus two others, things that will not be on the syllabus at Hogwarts but I believe they will be essential to their education. If you wouldn't mind, I would like to meet with you and your daughter to discuss this, as from what Harry's told me about her, she is an extremely intelligent girl and I believe she would benefit from what I can teach her. If it is acceptable to you, if you would provide me with your address I will visit you tomorrow morning at say, 11 o'clock?_

 _I have included a book for Hermione that I think she will enjoy, and explain a lot about my situation._

 _Yours,_

 _Lady Potter-Black_

Reading the letter again, she folded it up and slid it into the envelope, and with a tap of her wand to each of the seals, she pressed them to the envelope. They left black imprints of the griffin and cobra of her Houses, and she quickly addressed it to Hermione's parents.

"Think you could take this to Mr and Mrs Granger, Sirius?" Alexandra asked the owl, who puffed out his chest and hooted. With another tap of her wand, she attached the book securely to the envelope with a mild sticking charm that Hermione would be able to remove, despite the fact that she couldn't use a wand.

Sirius scooped up the package and soared out of the window and into the London skies. Sighing, Alexandra stood again and kissed Harry's forehead, who was still sleeping. _Let's see about those 'wards' on Privet Drive._

Rushing down to the reception, it wasn't long before she had landed on the corner of Privet Drive and was heading towards Number 4. Drawing her wand, she discreetly set up a strong notice-me-not charm around the house and tapped her head with her wand to turn herself invisible.

The lawn outside the house was well-kept and the building was neat, but Alexandra was looking for something else. Lifting her wand and closing her eyes, she reached out with her magic, searching for the blood wards that were claimed to be there. The first thing she reached was a monitoring charm, keyed to Albus Dumbledore that would alert him of any magical violence within the house. Second was a ward that would alert him to any Death Eaters entering the house, but the power behind it was strong.

That was it. Two wards that wouldn't even protect Harry- only let Dumbledore know what was happening. _Thank Merlin there wasn't anything that monitored Harry, otherwise he'd know that he left the house._

Opening her eyes again, she glared at the house and cursed under her breath, removing the disillusionment charm and walking up to the front door and knocking for the second time. Again, Petunia answered the door and turned pale when she saw who was knocking.

"Hello Petunia. I think we both know why I'm here." she said with a deceivingly sweet smile, before pushing the Muggle aside violently and entering the house walking through the hall and finding Vernon and Dudley in the sitting room. Her anger only grew when she saw the bastard who had beaten her cousin and she growled quietly at the pig.

"Vernon, get up." she snapped, and the fat man lurched to his feet, and she drew her wand quickly, pointing it at his eyes and glaring at him with fury in her gaze.

"How dare you." Hissed Alexandra, narrowing her eyes and letting her magic bubble beneath her skin, allowing her eyes to glow slightly and she wrinkled her nose as she smelt urine on the man's trousers.

"How dare you lay a finger on Harry, how dare you even _touch_ him. You are lower than shit on the bottom of my shoe, the garbage is too good a place for a monster like you. I am more powerful then you will ever be and I will crush you and your wife and your fat pig of a son until you are dust under my feet and no-one will remember your names. This I promise you." she snarled, withdrawing her wand and turning to Petunia and Dudley.

Alexandra's lips pursed and she reached out and slapped Petunia across the face with all the power she could muster and she sent the woman flying across the room, landing against the wall with a red handprint on her face. Dudley shrieked and ran to his mother, but she let him go, not wanting to stoop to the level of these animals. Vernon still stood, breathing heavily and the smell of urine was stronger than ever.

With a final growl, she pulled back her fist and sent it flying at the fat man's nose, breaking his nose and pushing him back into his chair, blood running down his face and she spat on him before turning and storming out of the house, leaving the front door open.

Glancing around her, she saw that the street was empty so she sprinted down the pavement to the concealed corner where she always arrived and disapparated with a loud crack, sending her body to Potter Manor.

Her study was undisturbed and Alexandra took a seat on the floor by the empty fireplace, sitting Indian style and closing her eyes. Every day she spent a half hour filing away her memories and organising her mind and an hour meditating on her Animagus form. She was making good progress- she already knew that her form was four-legged and feline and she was getting closer and closer to discovering what it was. Only then could she brew the necessary potion and make the transformation.

Delving inside her mind, she saw a small, stone room with multiple trunks inside, which each held different categories of memories: _Muggle, Dispater, Hogwarts, Childhood, Goblins, Curse-Breaking, Negative Memories, New Life_ and _Useful._ Each time she visited her memory room, she noticed the _Muggle_ trunk getting smaller and smaller, until it stopped shrinking at the size of a book. This time, she gathered up her memories of her confrontation with Albus and out it in _Useful_. This contained all the memories that pertained to her task of helping Harry kill Voldemort and taking down Dumbledore.

The memories of McGonagall and Flitwick plus Harry's Healer appointment went in _New Life_ and then left the room to build up the walls around her mind a little higher. Dumbledore was a powerful Legilimency and while she had a good defence, she knew she couldn't rely on the family magic to boost her strength if it happened again, which she doubted it would now that she had threatened him with criminal charges.

Once she emerged from her mind, she had calmed down enough to return to her desk and pull out the journals again. After a few suggestions from Flitwick, she realised that she needed to charm the books with a modified _Gemini_ Charm combined with _Aparecium_ to bind the books together. Snatching up a quill in her excitement, she scrawled her name on her book and laughed as it appeared in Harry's. Alexandra quickly wrote Harry's full name on the inside cover of Harry's journal in the leather using her wand and did the same to hers. The next few minutes she spent placing security and concealment jinxes on the books- locking them against everyone but the two of them and charming them to look like old notebooks long discarded.

She left her study and the journals and headed to the kitchen, where Missy made her a late lunch of sandwiches and soup and she sat at the table with her meal, staring into the bowl of soup, lost in her thoughts.

Narcissa and Draco were occupying themselves somewhere in the Manor, and Augusta and Neville were at home, so she sent him a letter detailing an investigation she wanted him to do into an antidote for the Draught of Sleeping Death. Having finished her lunch she stood and wandered into the formal sitting room, taking a seat on an ornate sofa.

"Jigs!" she called, settling back into the sofa.

The house elf appeared for the second time that day and swept a shallow bow. "Yes, Mistress?

"Jigs, I would like your help. I need to hire some more elves to take care of my other properties- do you know where I can find any?" she asked, raising an eyebrow and Jigs nodded his head violently.

"Yes, Mistress, Jigs can call other unemployed elves to the Manor if Mistress wishes? How many houses are there being?" he asked, bouncing up and down on the balls of his toes.

"There are eight, and one of them I am giving to Narcissa and Draco to live in, so the house-elves there will be cooking and cleaning and basically doing what you do- the other houses will only need a few elves to clean like you did when no one was living here, and also house elves who will do gardening and maintain the grounds of each property. Five of them are in different countries." Explained Alexandra, smiling at the little elf, who nodded and closed his eyes in concentration, and suddenly thirty six house elves popped into her sitting room and she jumped back in surprise.

"Umm, good morning? My name is Alexandra Potter-Black, I'm the Head of House Black and House Potter, and I need some house elves to look after my properties. This is Jigs, my head elf of the Potter properties. All of you will answer to him until I can choose a Black head elf. Would you like to work for me?" she said, meeting the eyes of all the house elves, who varied in height and age.

They all nodded frantically, and so she reached out her right hand and held it over the group. "I, Lady Alexandra Potter-Black, accept all these house elves in front of me into my household. So I say, so mote it be."

"So mote it be." Echoed the elves and a flash of light lit up the room.

"Okay. I have eight properties and they will all need different numbers of elves. So, please group yourselves into two groups of five, five groups of four and one pair." she asked, standing up and watching the elves separate themselves quickly.

"Do any of you have any preference as to which family you want to work for, or where you want to live? When my Heir, Harry Potter, is seventeen, he will become Lord Potter and I will be Head of only House Black. I have properties in France, Switzerland, Spain, Russia, Cornwall, London and the West Country."

One by one, the groups of elves were allocated to each house and stood smiling happily up at her, clutching the uniforms that Alexandra had duplicated and modified to show either the Potter or Black crest.

"Before you go, I want you all to know that when you get too old to work, or physically unable to do manual labour, you can still live in your respective homes and we will support your families. Each of you will have two days off every month, and you will earn a wage that you can spend on anything you like."

The elves' mouths dropped open and a female elf stepped forward. "Mistress is too kind to Nessy and other elves. We is not deserving this. Thank you Mistress!" she cried, tears slipping out from her tennis ball sized eyes.

"That's alright Nessy. You do deserve it! You can all go and settle into your new homes if you like." she replied, and one by one the groups of elves popped away until only one remained. The male elf stepped forward, clutching his new uniform and looking up at her timidly.

"Mistress, I is being Dobby, and Master Harry Potter freed Dobby a few weeks ago. Dobby would be honoured to work for Master Harry Potter here, if Mistress pleases?" Dobby the house elf looked up at her with huge pleading eyes and she laughed.

"Of course, Dobby, I would be more than happy for you to join the Manor staff, if Jigs and the others don't mind?" she replied turning to the other elf, who looked Dobby up and down and then turned to his Mistress.

"Missy can train Dobby to cook, if it pleases Mistress, so Missy can retire soon?" he offered, and Alexandra nodded.

"That's a wonderful idea, Jigs. Dobby, welcome to the family."


	18. The Grangers

**A/N: I'm not making any money from this. This is J.K's world, I'm just playing in it.**

The next morning, Narcissa and Draco went to look at Grimmauld Place while Alexandra got ready to meet the Grangers. They had replied the night before with a confirmation of the meeting and their address, so she was dressed in a white t-shirt, a skirt with pink roses on it and a baby pink blazer. She put her wand in a small grey purse and slipped on a pair of white wedge heels.

It was 10:50, so she hurried across to the library and selected a book on Occlumency for Hermione and then walked quickly down to her study to apparate out of the Manor. The street she landed on was in a nice neighbourhood, and she quickly located the Granger home as she strolled down the road- the tenth house she passed. It was detached with a white front door with steps leading up to it, and as she glanced up to the window, she caught sight of a mop of bushy hair. She smiled, recognising the hair as the mane belonging to Hermione.

Harry had told her all about his friend and truth be told she was quite excited to meet the girl who had been labelled after only two years at Hogwarts as 'the brightest witch of her age'. She must have made quite the impression on Harry seeing as he could practically wax lyrical about her, so Alexandra was eager to begin tutoring her. She had a line of fields which she felt the younger girl would be interested in, so the sooner that they began work, the better really.

Clutching the book, she made her way to the front door and knocked sharply on the front door, shifting her weight from side to side as she waited for someone to open the door. Only a minute or so after she had knocked, a small girl with warm chocolate eyes and curly brown hair threw open the door, grinning widely.

"Hermione, is it? Wonderful to meet you, Harry's told me lots about you." Said Alexandra, offering her hand to the girl who shook it eagerly with a firm grip.

"I'm very excited to meet you too, my Lady, I really enjoyed the book you sent me, it was very kind of you." replied Hermione and she opened the door wider so that Alexandra could enter. "Please come in, my parents are in the sitting room."

Alexandra grinned- she was impressed that Hermione had made her way through the book she had sent her the previous day, she could tell just from the way that Hermione shook her hand, spoke to her and looked at her, so she was very pleased with the etiquette she followed. Alexandra followed the girl through the open hallway and into a spacious sitting room with a modern feel, decorated with baby blues, creams and whites. Mr and Mrs Granger sat on a sofa talking quietly but both stood when she came in with their daughter.

Hermione had clearly taken after her mother in appearance- they both had the same, bushy hair although Mrs Granger's was more manageable and Emma was of a similar height to Alexandra where she could tell her daughter wouldn't be as tall. Hermione had inherited her eyes and smile from her father, who had blond hair and an athletic build and the hand shake he gave her was firm and confident. The vibe she was getting from them was promising and so she smiled warmly at them and greeted the two Muggles.

"Lady Potter-Black, it is an honour to meet you." said Dan, stepping back so that his wife could shake her hand and placing a hand on her shoulder protectively. Alexandra could tell that he didn't completely trust her- after all, they had never met her and she was a fully trained witch in a situation where they were defenceless.

"Please, call me Alexandra. There's no need for those formalities, Mr Granger." she replied, meeting his eyes and taking a seat on a blue armchair after being greeted by Hermione's mother.

"Then you must call us Dan and Emma," insisted the Muggle woman and Alexandra nodded quickly, before clearing her throat and glancing at Hermione, who was hanging onto her every word, having sat down on a grey ottoman on the opposite side of the room. Absently she noticed the amount of framed pictures of Hermione at various ages around the room and smiled inwardly.

"I'd like to clear a couple of things up quickly, if you don't mind. I have taken up the mantle of the Head of my family, the Potters, and a second family, the Blacks as I was the heir to both. These two Houses hold a great of power, wealth and influence, and as Harry is my Heir, I have claimed guardianship and he is now living with me. I'm not sure how much Hermione has told you about the First War…?" she trailed off, looking between the young girl and her parents, who were frowning.

"Not much, I'm afraid. We know that there was a racist man who was killing lots of people, until he tried to kill Harry but the curse rebounded and killed him instead. That's about it, actually." said Dan, sending his daughter an accusatory glare which faded quickly and he turned back to the witch, waiting for her to elaborate.

"That's right. Voldemort gathered followers and terrorised Britain, killing Muggles, Muggleborn and magical creatures such as centaurs or house-elves. Once he began searching for the Potters - Harry's parents and my cousins - I went into hiding in France. He murdered James and Lily, and would have succeeded in killing Harry if not for Lily's sacrifice. I think that she invoked ancient, illegal magic to protect her son, but either way, the killing curse rebounded and Voldemort's body was destroyed. Harry was hailed as the Saviour of the Wizarding World and became famous literally overnight. In their first year at Hogwarts, Dumbledore hid the Philosopher's Stone at the school- something that could bring Voldemort back to life- and Hermione, Ron and Harry were able to get through the traps set to keep out the Dark Lord. Voldemort was in fact possessing their Defence teacher.

"In their second year, Voldemort possessed a young girl through a diary and through her he reopened the Chamber of Secrets and released the Basilisk- a giant snake that can kill you if you look at it. Five students and a ghost were petrified, including your daughter but when Voldemort released it during his schooldays, a girl was killed. Harry killed the Basilisk a few weeks ago and destroyed the diary- saving the girl."

At the mention of their daughter being turned to stone, the Granger's expressions turned terrified and furious and Hermione shrank back in her seat as her parent's gaze fixed on her but Alexandra quickly jumped to her rescue.

"Please, you can reprimand Hermione later, I'd like to continue explaining things to you."  
Dan and Emma nodded slowly and Hermione beamed at her, but the older witch just winked subtly at her and turned back to the Muggles.

"Dumbledore has committed many crimes against Harry and our family, not to mention ignoring the safety of the students for the past two years at least. I want to open up a third side to the war- one to oppose both Dumbledore and Voldemort. I want to remove Dumbledore from power, reform the Hogwarts curriculum and the Ministry and I want to get Harry ready to defeat Voldemort. I'm here to offer Hermione a chance to join that side, if you would like to." she finished, looking at the younger girl, who beamed.

"I want to join you! Mum, Dad, can I?" Hermione accepted eagerly, leaping off the armchair and standing next to her mother, who exchanged a glance with Dan and nodded.

"Draco Malfoy? Isn't he that awful boy who's been bullying you?" asked Dan, frowning.

"One of the conditions of Draco joining the training is that he stops all of that blood purist nonsense- he's already apologised to Harry and Neville and he's keen to turn over a new leaf. If he does insult Hermione at any point he will be severely reprimanded and punished. I will not stand for that sort of behaviour from anyone, let alone my Heir." Alexandra was quick to reassure the Grangers who looked less concerned but she could see a light frown on his forehead.

"As long as you swear that our little girl will be safe, we will give our permission." said Dan, reaching out and taking Hermione's hand and Alexandra smiled hesitantly.

"I cannot promise you that she will never be in danger, but I can swear that I will do my very best to protect her and keep her safe. I've been thinking about creating emergency Portkeys that we can wear- as soon as Harry and his friends have them I'll make some for the two of you. The safety of Harry and his friends is my first priority." she promised, and the Grangers nodded.

"Now, I'm training Harry, Neville and Draco at the Manor from 9 every morning until 3 in the afternoon, and Hermione's welcome to Floo over if she'd like to join us?" Alexandra asked, glancing over to Hermione, who nodded eagerly.

"That would be great, Alexandra, thank you." said Emma, smiling warmly at the witch who grinned back. "Hermione's been itching to use magic for the past week- it's a shame she can't practice at home, but there's not a lot we can do."

"At the Manor she can use magic all she wants without being reported- the Ministry will just assume that it's me, so no repercussions. Harry's actually being treated at St. Mungo's for a couple of small things, so lessons will restart in three days- on July 2. In the meantime, I'll send over a couple of books I think you might like, then I'll come and get you. If you'd like to, you could come with us and join us all for lunch? Harry would be happy to meet you, I'm sure. We'll have to Apparate, but I'll see if I can get the house open to the Floo Network if you'd like?"

Dan nodded and stood, the others following suit. "That'd be great, Alexandra. Thanks for the offer- now we don't have to worry about her being in the house by herself when we're out at work."

Alexandra grinned and shook hands with Dan and Emma again as they made their way to the front door. "That's no problem, Dan, Hermione's welcome to the Manor whenever she'd like."

"It was great to meet you, Alexandra. Thank you for everything!" said Emma and Dan nodded in agreement.

"It's no problem. See you in a couple of days!" replied Alexandra, heading down the steps and into the empty street, where she quickly found a sheltered spot in which to Disapparate.


End file.
